


Labyrinth of the Heart

by UrsineEnchantment



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Hurt, I'll add more pokemon when they come in bc i don't wanna spoil who i chose for everyone, Loneliness, Muteness, Recovered Memories, Repressed Memories, Temporary Amnesia, not tagging ships yet but i do have some in mind for later on, there's no alolan raichu tag and that is an injustice ao3 needs to fix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-02-23 21:56:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13199352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UrsineEnchantment/pseuds/UrsineEnchantment
Summary: It's cold, and dark, and he can't shake the dreadful pit in his chest that there's something, someone, who's missing. Can't shake the crushing loneliness that he has to carry in a strange, often dangerous world. He's incomplete, and he hopes he can fix this, all of this, before it gets to be too much to bear...However, maybe he can meet a few, precious friends. Friends who will show him that all is not lost, that the world is not always bleak. That there is hope to be found, a new life to live...even if there are others that aim to crush those dreams...





	1. Hallowed Grounds B1F

**Author's Note:**

> Pokémon Red Rescue team has been my favourite video game of All Time until last May, when I discovered and fell in love with Persona 5. I adore both of these games with all of my heart, they're super special to me! I noticed that some elements from both could work to create something new, so I decided to start this fic for fun and write what makes both of these games and their characters special to me! I've never written a crossover before but I just loved this idea!
> 
> So please join me as we follow our favourite p5 characters as pokemon in the mystery dungeon world! I won't be using a specific game from the pmd series, but pulling different elements and places from different ones to create my own pmd universe! 
> 
> Recommended bg music: Escape through the Snow (Red Rescue Team, there's a nice 30 min loop on YouTube)!
> 
> This isn't going to be a super long sprawling epic, I was originally planning to just do a few chapters per arc to showcase how each character came to meet our hero and what their roles and adventures in the universe are (I already have drafts planned for the future chapters), but I do also have some plans for deeper plot that I'll weave in and explore! If I get super passionate beyond what I had planned, I might turn this into a larger, more coherent story and use a lot more of my extra plot notes!

_Where...Where am I?_

_How long have I been asleep? Or...did I faint?  
  
It's so cold...and the air smells musty...  
  
My head...it hurts...My limbs feel heavy...  
  
Something's wrong...  
  
I can't just lay here though. I have to move. I need to get up.  
  
_Slowly, he managed to force his leaden eyelids to open. He was greeted with blurs of grey and black, and hints of dark blue. Blinking several times to try and bring himself into awareness, the blurs focused into a dark, cloudy sky, with the tips of dead trees entering the edges of his field of vision.  
 _  
What is this place?  
  
_ Shaking his head and trying to ignore the pounding ache the action caused, he stretched his arms back and heaved his body upright so he could sit. His forelimbs were shaking from the strain of holding himself up, but he endured it, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. The area around him was just as grim as the sky, full of deceased plants and the skeletons of the few trees and bushes brave enough to struggle on, covered in rotting bark and fungus the colour of bleached bones. The same ghostly white seemed to stay around the very edges of his gaze, he noticed, but no matter which way he turned, it stayed lingering in the corners of his eyes, and he couldn't find the source. Giving up, he glanced at the ground he was sitting on. It looked just as grey as everything else, with the occasional patches of brittle grass clawing out from the cold, dry ground. Carefully, he reached out to feel the dirt, his claws barely able to scratch through the hard-packed surface.  
  
 _Wait...claws?  
  
_ He wasn't sure why that observation had sent his stomach twisting. His head was so heavy and this place felt so alien, he didn't know if he felt like mustering up the energy to panic over anything. He was just tired, and confused...he wanted to go back to sleep.  
  
And yet...something had sparked in him after that thought. A deep, nagging feeling that he couldn't quite grasp enough to understand what it wanted. Like when you woke up from a dream, but every thread of memory you tried to cling to just flew from your consciousness, like scattered cobwebs. Why did he feel like something...like something was _missing?  
  
_ Whatever that something was, it had wormed its way into his awareness, and although he was tired and sore, he couldn't go back to that blissful, unconscious state anymore. There was a persistent knot of anxiety in his chest now, and sitting here wasn't going to get rid of it. Maybe a short walk would clear his head enough to think properly. Or maybe it would exhaust him enough to collapse.  
  
 _Besides, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about all of this.  
  
_ It took quite a bit of effort, but he managed to heave himself into a standing position, wobbling slightly until his legs had completely awoken. Unsure if a direction mattered, he decided to keep walking the way he was facing, trudging through dead debris and having to side-step a few crumbled rocks. The further he went, the more fog started rolling in, dancing around his feet and beginning to swirl around the sides until he could only make out a couple of feet ahead of him at a time. He wished the wind would clear it. He could feel the chilly breeze as it moaned across his scales, and if he listened carefully he could make out the rustling of dying leaves in a few places. Shivering, he hunched his shoulders. Maybe this walk wasn't such a good idea.  
  
Even without the fog and bitter temperature, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He'd hoped once he got moving and the haze of sleep had cleared he would start feeling better, but moving still felt strange. Like there was something else lurking with him. Not a creature following, but closer, like it was almost _inside of him._ He could feel something long and heavy dragging behind him, and his head still felt dense and off-balance, but there was something worse. He knew he was fairly low to the ground, that much was evident by the short bushes he passed that still almost reached his head, but there was also this bizarre sensation of something _taller_ walking alongside him. Something straighter and less bulky, with strides that were several feet longer than his own and arms that reached further and hung lower, not resting hunched and close to his chest. It was almost like a _phantom,_ something otherworldly, yet still...he almost felt like they were supposed to be together. Like it was supposed to be in _this_ body.  
  
 _Or, maybe...am I supposed to be in that one?  
  
_ Either way, something was definitely missing. In this place, in him...it all just felt...lacking. Cold and empty and incomplete. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes against the puff of white as his breath cooled, only for them to flash open in panic a moment later as his foot hit something solid and he pitched forwards, his face smacking into the ground. There was a distinct cracking noise, but whatever it was, he didn't think it had come from him. At least, nothing about him felt broken. Sitting up and rubbing his foot to ease the ache, he turned to see what he'd tripped over. A rock.  
  
No, a chunk of grey stone. Smoother than a regular rock, if deeply weathered and broken in places. He ran a hand over it, his claw scraping lightly over the jagged surface. This had been something greater once. Some sort of object. He stood carefully, pacing around to the other side. There were more pieces lying around in the dirt, some smaller, some much bigger. Upon peering closer, he noticed symbols had been engraved into parts of the stone. Letters.  
  
 _What was this?  
  
_ He started to pick up the pieces one by one, placing them into a pile. If he didn't have anything better to do, he could at least fix this.  
  
Catching sight of a chunk lying further away, he trudged over to it, digging through the debris to pick it up. As he brushed a few brown leaves aside, another, larger stone caught his attention. Curved at the top, and ensnared by ivy, but in decent condition by this place's standards. Cocking his head, he managed to make out the script carved into it. Or at least, what hadn't been worn away.  
  
R  N  A M  M  Y A  
  
Well, that didn't tell him much. Shrugging, he picked up the broken chunk of stone and brought it back to his pile. This seemed to be all that he could find. He could at least try to put it back together.  
  
He had no concept of time here, not when his head still felt foggy and with everything remaining shrouded in the cold and the dark. But building this stone object was at least giving him something to focus on besides all of his questions. No need to wonder how he ended up here, or whether he was supposed to look like this or that creature he had felt walking with him. No need to wonder if the temperature was going to keep dropping, or if he could find something to sate the gnawing hunger in his empty stomach. No, his only questions were which piece fit where, which letters formed which patterns, or what he'd managed to break in the first place.  
  
He eventually managed to answer two of those questions as he stood before the object. It probably wouldn't hold up for long in harsher conditions, since he didn't have any mud or another way to hold the pieces together, but it could stand completed for now. He could read the words on the stone.  
  
AKIRA KURUSU  
  
Why did those two words send a chill through him, deeper than that of the deathly wind swirling through this place?  
  
 _Akira Kurusu...  
  
Could that be what I'm missing?  
  
_Why, then...  
  
Why was it written on a _gravestone?_


	2. Hallowed Grounds B2F

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the second chapter! It's short, but things will get longer and more detailed as we get deeper in, I assure you! It just worked better in the drafts to break up the first few bits into smaller chunks!
> 
> Recommended bg music: Escape through the Snow (Red Rescue Team, there's a nice 30 min loop on YouTube)!

A gravestone.  
  
The image in front of him started to blur, and he reached his arms outwards, clutching the stone to try and stay upright. His stomach was twisting again, and despite the chilly air he felt a rush of heat wash over him. Panting hard, he tried to fight off the wave of dizziness. Despite his efforts, he found himself lurching forwards. Reeling back in a panic, his hands slipped, pulling the loose stone construction down with him.  
  
The clatter of rock pieces coating his stomach and chest served to jolt him back into awareness before he could actually pass out, but it brought additional weight besides what was physically on top of him. No, it felt like stone had settled in his heart as well, cold and heavy.  
  
He almost considered lying there. Just stay buried underneath the stones, waiting for the cold to finish the job. The chill already felt like it was seeping into his bones, and the tips of his fingers and his feet were growing numb.  
  
_Who were you, Akira?_  
  
Why did this single gravestone make him feel so...lost? Sick, and anxious, and...sad. Not the sympathetic mourning anyone would feel when stumbling upon a grave, but deeper, more personal...  
  
_How did I know you?_  
  
What am I supposed to be doing here?  
  
His fingers clasped around one of the chunks of stone, and he lifted it off of his chest, staring at the 'A', tracing the indentations with a single claw over and over.  
  
_What am I missing?_  
  
Setting the rock back down on his chest, he closed his eyes, listening to the howling of the wind around him. It should have been an eerie sound, but at this point, he could almost consider it a lullaby. He was so tired...Cold and tired. Maybe he could just rest here for a while. Maybe sleep would bring answers.  
  
**Thunk.  
**   
The sudden sound had forced his eyes open again, wide with confusion. What had that been? He hadn't knocked any more rocks over.  
  
**Thunk.  
**   
He turned his head from side to side, but he couldn't see anything besides the lonely scenery around him. The land was still, spare the wind brushing a few dead trees, but it wasn't a strong enough breeze to break any of the branches. There was nothing out here.  
  
**Thunk.  
**   
His heartbeat quickened as he realized that last one had sounded closer, not too far off from the right of him. A panicked glance that way revealed nothing, and he stiffened, holding his breath in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself.  
  
**Thunk.  
**   
There was _something_ out here. Lungs burning, he was forced to gasp as he let air rush back into him, struggling to shove the chunks of stone from his body as quickly as he could. He needed to move. He needed to _run._  
  
Standing up took considerable effort, his limbs not as willing to cooperate when they were half-numb, but his spiking terror was enough of a jumpstart to get his muscles to move, and he staggered forwards. Guilt sank in his stomach as he stumbled through the remains of the grave he'd broken not once, but twice. Perhaps this thing, whatever it was that was thumping nearby, was meant to be his punishment.  
  
He didn't have the nerves to wait and find out, even if his fate was to accept whatever dreadful thing was lurking here.   
  
_I'm sorry. I'll fix things, somehow..._  
  
**Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.**  
**  
**The pace of the noise was quickening, always just a few feet behind him. Sharp branches and the occasional thorn scraped his sides as he scrambled onwards, tripping over his own feet and clawing the ground with his hands as he hurried through the dead vegetation, more old gravestones appearing from the fog as he went further. So it hadn't been just a few lone burials then. He'd stumbled into a full graveyard...  
  
He didn't dare look behind him, always ensuring he was moving forward, his breath puffing out in uneven pants and gasps as he struggled for air. Dizziness began to nag at him again from the strain of so much movement, the edges of his vision speckling with black or white spots, and if that wasn't enough, those strange phantom limb sensations were coming back, causing his already-unsteady gait to falter as he found himself misjudging the distances his legs could travel in each step. The ground leapt up to meet his face as he tripped and fell to the dirt, disoriented.  
  
**Thunk.  
**   
Fear was still coursing through him, but he wasn't sure if he had the energy to keep moving anymore. Every cell seemed to be stinging, and he could feel the dizziness increasing by the moment, fed by both his exhaustion and the ever-present hunger wracking his belly. Weakly, his clenched claws released their grip on the soil, his bleary gaze staring along the ground in front of him.  
  
**Thunk.  
**   
_Creeeeeaaak..._  
  
Slowly, the massive stone slab he'd collapsed in front of began moving, groaning as it slid across the dirt to reveal a dark corridor. The musty stench of decay assaulted his nostrils as a gust of air rushed outside.   
  
_A door?_  
  
The last thing he saw before his eyelids fell shut was a pair of glowing red eyes. The last thing he felt was an icy touch on his back.


	3. Bygone Crypt B1F

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero awakens in a mysterious new place, with no sign of other life besides himself. Will he find any answers to his pressing questions? Is he destined to remain alone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, finally getting into longer chapters! I've been editing this in my spare time all week and I'm so excited to start getting into the real story! Thank you to everyone who's commented or given kudos! <3 
> 
> (Recommended bg music for his time in Bygone Crypt: 'Wish Park -Main- Pokepark 2 Wonders Beyond Extended', which you can find on YouTube)

"Ther-...you're ou-...-he cold..."  
 _  
What are those noises? They're kind of echoing..._  
  
"No ne-..to than-...I -ope...-find..."  
  
 _A voice? I can't quite make it out..._  
  
He strained to listen, but he couldn't hear anything else. Had something really been here with him? Or had it just been his imagination? What had pulled him from the darkness of sleep?  
  
His jaws opening in a silent yawn, he stretched out the rest of his body, arching his back into the movement before he pushed himself off of his stomach. His claws scrabbled against hard stone for a moment before he could gain the purchase he needed, but he managed to sit up, his head spinning ever-so-briefly before his sense of balance settled. He squinted, trying to peer around. There were torches placed on the walls around him, but they only illuminated small sections of the area, shadows and cobwebs swallowing up the rest.  
  
 _Where am I? I think I remember seeing a door open earlier, but I don't see one around here..._  
  
Standing up carefully, he took a few wobbly steps forward, stopping as his foot bumped against something. An apple rolled across the floor, slowing to a halt next to a large bronze dish. The dish held an entire pile of the crimson fruit, looking unusually fresh compared to the rest of the dusty scenery. A slow growl echoed around the room then, and he flinched, staring around warily for an attacker before he realized his own stomach had been the culprit.   
  
_I'm starving, but still...I probably shouldn't touch anything in here. It's not mine._  
  
Forcing himself to turn away, he moved slowly towards one of the walls. They seemed much bigger once you were close up, and he had to tilt his head back to try and see the strange engravings carved into the stone. None of them seemed to be any form of alphabet, just pictures...pictures of strange creatures. Some seemed peaceful, others fighting viciously, and some...they were alone. Lost. Like him.  
  
That empty feeling settled in his gut again, but it was almost canceled out by another sharp pang as his stomach growled again.  
  
 _Well...I can't find any answers if I pass out again..._  
  
Hesitantly, he made his way back to the dish and reached for an apple, clutching it in his claws while he glanced around the room once more. If it wasn't meant for him, surely someone would appear to fuss at him, right? Someone had to have brought these here _recently,_ so if they were still here, they would hear him. Taking a small bite of the fruit, he listened to the crunch echo around him, waiting with bated breath.   
  
No one was coming. He couldn't hear a sound. Maybe whoever had brought these had left already?  
  
Shrugging his shoulders, he turned his full attention to the fruit in his hands, chomping down with a much larger bite this time. His mouth was watering now, and eating felt strange, his own jaws slipping between feeling just right or feeling far too big and clunky. The disconnect between the two shifting sensations left him chewing awkwardly, bits and pieces of the fruit falling out of his mouth as juice dripped down his face, but his appetite was too eager for him to care as he reached for a second apple, then a third. He only paused when a half-chewed piece went down his throat the wrong way and sent him into a coughing fit, wheezing and fumbling around until his claws grasped a goblet he spotted to his right. He ended up dumping about half of the water into his face instead of his mouth, but he finally managed to wash the piece of fruit down, gasping for air and panting for a few minutes while he recovered. Shaking off what was left of the water from his face, he set the empty goblet back down next to the dish of apples, then began stepping towards the wall again.  
  
With his energy restored, maybe he could start making some progress in exploring this place. He couldn't make much sense of the images and symbols decorating the walls in this room, but one of the torches at the end of the far left was illuminating the start of a hallway. It was as good a path to begin with as any...  
  
~~~  
  
The air in this place was musty and stale, and every inhale _reeked_ of decay, but if there was one positive thing he could list, at least it was warmer in here than it had been outside. He had feeling in all of his fingers and toes, and the radiating heat from any torches he passed left a pleasing tingle along his scales. There weren't any eerie winds howling either, just the sound of his own footsteps against the stone.  
  
Yes, just his own footsteps for hallway after hallway. Nothing lonely about that...  
  
It took a while for the scenery to change, and he was surprised to glance up from the floor and find that this hallway ended in a set of stairs. They seemed to be short enough for his legs, luckily, but the room they led down into seemed darker than what he'd seen so far. Much darker.  
  
 _I haven't seen any other rooms though. This might be the only way to keep exploring._  
  
Standing on his tiptoes, he managed to grasp one of the torches attached to the wall. With a light source in claw, he began to descend the staircase, hunching his shoulders slightly as he tried to scan the shadows that were swallowing him up.   
  
It was nearly pitch black by the time he reached the floor, and the torch only provided enough light to see for about a foot ahead of him in any direction. He walked slowly, waving his light source around to ensure he didn't trip on anything as he crept deeper into the room. As he reached the middle, a large object caught his attention.  
  
A box. A large, stone box.  
  
No, wait. There were more here. A whole row, all made of the same blank stone. The only distinguishing features between them were the variety of cobwebs stuck to different portions. Despite the muggy heat here, a slight chill ran up his spine at the sight of them.  
  
 _Are these...what I think they are?_  
  
If they were, the respectful thing would be to leave them alone. They clearly hadn't been bothered for a long time, and it was probably best for things to stay that way. But...Akira's name had been written out there, on that stone. Couldn't that mean that they might be here (for better or worse)? Or if nothing else, some of their belongings, or a kind of memento?  
  
He swallowed and tried to steel himself against the twisting nerves gathering in his stomach, setting the torch down on one of the other boxes so he had both hands free. Gripping the smooth stone lid, he began tugging it up and pushing it to the side, a task not made easy by the weight of the object. He paused once it had been moved about halfway, leaning over to squint inside the box.   
  
_It's...empty?_    
  
Nothing but a layer of dust in the bottom. He wasn't sure if that was a relief, or just frustrating. Shaking his head, he pulled the lid back into place, glancing at the box to his right.   
  
_I should check the rest, just to be sure._  
  
He picked the torch up and moved it back to rest on the first box, then repeated the struggle of moving the heavy slab of rock. This one did actually have something inside. A dusty velvet cushion, which seemed to have been a dark blue before it had gotten all grungy. He reached down to stroke the yellow tassels on the corners, cocking his head. Try as he did to think, he didn't recognize this cushion at all.   
  
_I'm sorry for disturbing your things, whoever you were._  
  
Tugging the lid back again left him panting. He slowly allowed himself to slide down and sit on the floor to rest, staring forlornly at the last container. Was it even going to be worth the effort, or would it just be another disappointment?   
_  
I just want to know why I'm here, and who Akira was...Please, what am I missing?_  
  
What if he never figured anything out? Would he just be stuck wandering around in unsettling ruins and graveyards forever?   
  
Sighing, he heaved himself back to his feet and stepped over to the last box.   
  
_I shouldn't hold my breath, I guess._  
  
This lid seemed to be heavier than the last two, and it took him a good few extra minutes of heaving to shove it out of the way. Leaning in, his stomach sank like he'd swallowed a piece of the stone.  
  
There was a thick, white bone inside.   
  
_I can't even tell what kind of part that's supposed to be, or what it came from. And why just one?_  
  
Cautiously, he reached inside to stroke it, but he was puzzled when he felt the texture. It didn't feel smooth, but there wasn't any kind of break in it. Pulling it out, he stepped closer to the light on the middle box and turned the bone over in his claws.   
  
_An engraving?_  
  
The marks were thin and precise, proving they had been carved with great care, and once he turned the bone horizontally, he found they were letters.   
  
A K I R A  
  
 _That name again. But why here?_  
  
~~~  
  
"Akira! Where are you? It's already dark! Your dinner's getting cold!"  
  
"Sorry, Mom. I lost track of time, but I'm on my way home now. I should be there in twenty minutes, maybe less."  
  
"Hhh...alright. Sometimes I wonder what you get up to all day. Just don't get into any trouble, alright?"  
  
"I won't, don't worry. Bye."  
  
Shoving the phone in his pocket, he ran a hand through soft hair, then started walking again. His strides were long and easy as he made his way through a maze of narrow streets, with a variety of nightlife sounds filling the air around him.   
  
_This...this is the same form I felt when I tried to run back in that graveyard. It's so much taller, and it doesn't have scales, or a tail._  
  
 _This place feels so familiar. And that woman's voice...why does it hurt to hear it?_  
  
As he turned a corner and passed a large window, he spotted the reflection. Black hair covered his head, and glasses sat on his nose, glinting in the streetlights. He was thin, and looked calm.  
 _  
That's...that's me, isn't it? Is this what I'm missing? My form, and this place?_  
  
 _That woman, my mother...she called me Akira. So if that's my name, then...why was it-_  
  
~~~  
  
A loud clatter jolted him into awareness, and he glanced around in a panic to find the source of the noise. Where were the lights, the night sky, the buildings? All he could see was stone, cobwebs and darkness!  
  
As his gaze turned down to the floor, he noticed the large bone rolling to a stop.   
  
_Oh. Right._  
  
Akira. So he hadn't just known that name. He _was_ Akira. And whatever this place was, it wasn't where he belonged. This body wasn't where he belonged either.   
  
Flexing his claws with a renewed sense of unease, he snatched the bone back up, hugging it to his chest. This old thing might be his last link to whatever scrap of memory he'd managed to uncover. He was going to cling to it like some kind of precious treasure.  
  
 ** _CREEEEAAAKKK~_**  
  
He stiffened as a terrible noise filled the room, shaking the floor and causing the lid he hadn't put back to rattle and fall to the floor. His torch rolled off of the other coffin, the scrap of light vanishing as it fell out of his sight.   
  
The room didn't stay dark for long though. As he turned to face the sound, he saw a sliver of white light peeking in, the ray growing larger as the far wall began to move and reveal a dirt hallway, sloping upwards into an open space.   
  
_A doorway?_  
  
He slunk forwards, making his way to the very edge and peeking his head out.  
  
Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he was greeted with an array of green hues, mixed with browns and reds. Bushes, grass, a bunch of scattered flowers...was there a whole forest out there?  
  
It was the first sign of life he's seen since he'd woken up the first time! He could smell all kinds of sweet scents, fresh enough to chase out the dusty air that he felt like he'd been carrying in his lungs. And there was actual sunlight!  
  
 _Please, don't be a trick._  
  
His footsteps were stumbling, but eager as he hurried outside and tried to navigate the grassy terrain. His feet and tail kept getting caught in the tendrils of vines and branches, but he pressed on, moving and not daring to look back at whatever dead place he'd come from.   
  
He halted in a clearing several minutes later, panting for breath as he sat down to rest against a tree trunk. The bark didn't scratch his tough hide, and he pressed his head back, closing his eyes. He may have overdone it on the running. His legs were aching, and his lungs and throat burned.   
_  
Water. I need water._  
  
Using his bone as a cane of sorts, he pushed himself up again, soon catching sight of a stream just past the edge of the clearing. He shuffled towards it, plunging his head in immediately to take deep, sloppy gulps. He only stopped drinking when his lungs stung for air again, pulling back with a gasp. A gasp that was soon accompanied with another one as he flinched back from a ghostly white shape that appeared in the water.   
_  
What was that thing!?!  
_  
Wait...  
  
Tentatively, he leaned forwards again, his heart aching as he looked more carefully at the creature staring back. Bone covered its face from the top of the head all the way over the jaw, cracked at the edges and marked around the eyes with what looked like old tear stains. Dry, mud-brown scales covered everything else except for a pale underbelly, and the claws on his hands were thick and jagged.   
  
It was an ugly, hunched reptile, and it was pretty depressing to look at.  
 _  
I look just as dead and dirty as everything else in that other place did..._  
  
"Aw yeah, just a little faster and-WOAH! LOOK OUT BUDDY!!!"  
  
He barely had time to register the shout before he felt something crash into his left side. The force of the impact sent him skidding through the grass, the ridges on his back digging sharply into the dirt as the back of his head smacked into the ground. Something else landed on top of him as they finally skidded to a stop, and he winced as the creature tried to stand, digging into his softer stomach in the process.  
  
"Aw geez, that was rough..."  
  
He opened his eyes as he felt the creature step off of him, letting his gaze wander over what looked like some sort of furry mammal. Its coat was a striking golden colour, and it had long, black tipped ears, and a few brown stripes. Its cheeks were bright red too, unnaturally so. But then again, what was natural about a lizard with a skull for a face?  
  
"What're ya' starin' at me like that for? You didn't knock your head too hard, did ya'? Here, get up."  
  
Slightly stunned, he couldn't think to do much else besides take the yellow hand (paw?) offered to him as the other creature pulled him to stand upright. They seemed to be about the same height.   
  
"Hey, uh, sorry for crashin' into ya' like that." It was scratching the fur behind its head now, a strangely-shaped tail lowering much like an apologetic dog's. "This forest is my new training ground, and I was trying to get my speed up. Guess I couldn't see ya' through the trees until it was too late, y'know? You aren't hurt too bad, are ya?"  
  
He shook his head no, still trying to get a good look at the animal in front of him.   
  
"Well, that's good, I guess. I haven't seen ya' around here before though. Ya' got a name?"  
  
A name...yes, at least he had that. He opened his jaws, flexing them a few times to prepare to speak.  
  
 _"Hhh..."_  
  
He tried a couple more times, but he couldn't seem to force any sound to come out besides a soft sigh or gasp of air. His mouth still felt so big and strange...he may have been able to adjust to most of this new body, but his mouth was shaped too differently from his other form. He'd have to learn new mouth movements if he hoped to speak. If he even _could_ speak with this form.  
  
The other creature didn't seem to realize he'd been trying to say something, instead taking the sighs as a sign of disappointment. "Hey, uh, I didn't mean to upset ya'...do ya' seriously not have one?" A paw patted him on the head as the creature knit its brows together in thought. "How about I call you...Skull! Yeah, you've got that thing on your head, and it looks _totally sick!_ Pretty cool name, right?"  
  
He flinched away from the extra contact, his stomach twisting. Why would he want to be named after this mask of death? It didn't feel 'cool', it made him feel lost and confused and empty and-  
  
 _Where's the bone?_  
  
He'd had it earlier, but it wasn't in his grip anymore. He must have dropped it when that creature crashed into him!  
 _  
I can't lose it, I can't! It's all I have!_  
  
Stumbling past the rodent, he started rummaging through the grass along the riverbank, his chest pounding with panic.   
  
_Where is it?!?_  
  
"What are ya' looking for? Is it this thing?"  
  
He whipped around in time to see the creature pick up the bone from a spot of grass behind that strange tail. He hurried over, snatching it from the rodents paws to look it over. Good, it wasn't damaged.   
  
"Is a bone really that important? Well, I guess for a critter named Skull, it would be, heheh!"  
  
Stiffening at the repeated nickname, he held the bone out with the letters facing the other creature, pointing insistently with his other hand.  
  
"A-ki-ra...Akira? Wait, is that your name then?"  
  
He nodded vigorously, almost losing his balance when the weight of his mask threw off the motion.  
  
"Alright then, Akira. Name's Ryuji, it's cool to meet ya'!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI: I'm sticking to the real names for all of the Confidants (despite the fact that it makes no sense in the PMD universe for anyone besides the hero to have a human name) for the sake of clarity. That said, I really wish I could call him Rychuji c':
> 
> Also I'm hoping to find time to draw these goofballs later, and if anyone else ever draws anything BY ALL MEANS show me! I live for pmd art to begin with but seeing anything from my own fic would probably make me screech so loudly aliens could hear it!


	4. ??? Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this fic has been moving slowly so far, but chapters will be updating more consistently soon! I've been trying to build a bit of a backlog with this fic since the next few chapters will be getting into the real story, and I needed to write ahead so that I could make sure certain plot points would work instead of suddenly running into a wall! (I'm really excited for the chapter after this one because a certain character will be appearing c; ) . That's also why this chapter ends fairly quickly, I ended up chopping it in half because the other portion would flow better being added to the stuff in chapter five!

"So, I don't know your species, but what's a pokemon like you doin' in a forest, Akira? I mean, no offense, but ya' don't really look like the type to hang around places that aren't...creepy. Ya' passing through on your way somewhere?"  
  
He tried to maintain a neutral expression despite the sting the comment caused. He'd seen by his reflection in the water that he definitely wasn't an appealing creature, but hearing it from someone else made it seem more truthful. So he wasn't going to be welcome in these woods either...  
  
_But I don't want to go back to that other place..._  
  
Unsure how else to answer, he settled for a non-committal shrug. The other creature cocked his head and furrowed his eyebrows.   
  
"What, are you tryin' to be all mysterious or somethin'? I was just gonna offer to give ya' some directions, sheesh."  
  
Directions? Well, he didn't have any goals in mind, so it might be worth hearing Ryuji out. He could at least learn a bit more about what lay beyond here, and find a starting point for his travels. He made an attempt to look more interested, staring at the rodent with wide eyes that, hopefully, didn't come across as unsettling.  
  
"Oh sure, _now_ you're listening. Alright then, where are you headed?"  
  
"..."  
  
"I, uh, can't really give ya' directions if you don't say nothin'..." Ryuji huffed. "You're awful quiet, y'know? Even if you're shy, ya' gotta give me somethin' to work with."  
  
Did Ryuji really just think he was shy? He'd thought that he'd gotten the point across by now. Apparently not. Opening his jaws pointedly, he tried to say his name. All that came out were a few huffs of air and a slight growling noise, then silence. Holding the tip of his bone up, he made the gesture of drawing an 'X' over his throat.  
  
Ryuji looked puzzled for a moment before it apparently sank in, the creature letting out a groan as he slapped his forehead. "Ohhhh! So ya' seriously can't talk?!? That's gotta totally suck! Er, n-no offense!"   
  
He just shrugged again. It was definitely inconvenient, and frustrating, but it wasn't like there was anything he could do about it right now. He'd just have to roll along with it, just like this new body.   
  
"Alright then, now that that's cleared up, how about I just stick to stuff you can nod for? Like yes or no questions!"  
  
He gave him a grateful nod for yes.  
  
"Cool. Okay then, back to the first thing. Are ya' passing through here on your way to somewhere in particular?"  
  
No.  
  
"Huh. Okay...do ya' live here then?"  
  
No.  
  
"Well, if ya' aren't goin' anywhere and ya' don't live here, _why the heck_ are ya' here?!?"  
  
A shrug.  
  
Ryuji just looked baffled, staring at him with equal parts concern and frustration. "Ya' can't talk _and_ you're completely lost...You're a real wreck, y'know that?"  
  
_Oh, I definitely know that..._  
  
Ryuji groaned again, pacing in place for a few moments while he thought things over. "Well, I guess if ya' don't have anywhere else to go, you could follow me back to town? Maybe you'll figure somethin' out once ya' get there. Sound good?"  
  
Nodding vigorously, he stepped behind Ryuji, prepared to follow him. _A town! There'll be plenty of buildings there. I can get some food, maybe pick up a map..._  
  
"Alright then. Come on, Akira, let's head back! Try to keep up!"  
  
The rodent had taken off on all fours, prancing through the grass and jumping over tree roots like they were nothing. He struggled to run behind as they left the clearing, keeping a tight grip on his bone and sticking his tail out for balance as he stumbled along after his new guide. Weeds and low hanging branches kept snagging him as he ran, and he growled under his breath, reaching out his free hand to swipe at the pesky tendrils with his claws.   
  
He definitely wasn't very agile. Maybe this form was supposed to be suited for more open spaces?   
  
"Geez, you're slow! Alright, hang on, I'll slow down a bit."  
  
He was grateful for the lighter pace, huffing for breath while Ryuji sat on a log to wait for him. Once they'd rested for a minute, the rodent stood, walking on all fours and mostly sticking to his side, spare a few times when he'd run a few paces ahead to verify their course. It was interesting to watch the creature move. He never seemed to still himself completely, always letting at least an ear or his tail twitch, and his paws could climb up tree trunks with ease whenever he needed to get a higher view. He could jump at least twice his body length too, leaping up and down or darting in zig-zagging patterns to reach things. It was like every object in the forest was a possible platform, instead of just walking along the ground like he himself had to.  
  
If he had to compare it to something, he'd say Ryuji moved much like lightning did. Fast, changing directions in a heartbeat. Yes, just like that.   
  
Heh. Come to think of it, the creature's tail almost looked like a lightning bolt, if you glanced at it from a certain angle.   
  
"I told ya' how this forest was my new trainin' ground, right?"  
  
He nodded, taking care to step around a fallen log so that he didn't have to scramble over it.   
  
"Yeah, I've been workin' real hard, runnin' everyday! That's why I'm so much faster than your sluggish butt!" Ryuji snickered. "I gotta be fast to do my job around town, and things've been gettin' rough, so I found this new spot to work on dodgin' obstacles and st-WHOA!"  
  
Ryuji's ears pinned themselves back against his head, and he leapt away from the rock he'd just jumped onto before it began sinking into the ground. As the sod chunks began crumbling near the rock's edges, a rumbling noise began growing loud enough for him to hear it as well, and he was startled to feel the grassy ground shaking under his toes.   
  
"Crap! Come on dude, we gotta move, _now!"_  
  
As he scrambled after the fleeing rodent, the rumbling grew louder and louder, until it seemed to be echoing from every possible direction. The ground was growing treacherous with the constant shaking making it difficult to maintain his footing as he ran, and more and more chunks of soil seemed to be crumbling right where he was planning to step. Leaves and different nuts and fruits were hailing down from above, the latter two beating along his hide and pelting the skull on his head in ways that made his ears ring (well, ear holes). A thunderous crack to his right was followed by a slamming thud as a tree collapsed onto the path, the rush of wind and debris forcing him to stop and cower for a second. It had just barely missed crushing him, and his heart was slamming against his ribcage as he glanced around, spotting no routes to go around the massive trunk. Shoving his treasured bone into his mouth, he clenched his teeth carefully, praying he wouldn't mess up the engravings as he leapt forwards, digging both hands into the bark.   
  
He could barely make out a voice over the all-consuming noise.  
  
"Dude, where are you?!? Dang it!"  
  
Kicking his legs, he finally managed to get his hind claws to dig in as well, and he started climbing, as quickly as possible, not daring to look at the collapsing landscape behind him. Chunks of old bark fell away with each of his movements, but he finally managed to heave himself up, spotting Ryuji leaping around from perch to perch as his guide made his way over to the log.   
  
"Geez, thank Arceus I found ya'! Hop on down and let's ditch this place before things gets worse!"  
  
Standing up proved to be dangerous with the shaking all around him, but he managed to find his footing, sticking his arms out on either side. Without hesitation, he leaped, but the impact seemed much stronger than a landing should have been. It was reverberating all through him, and just as he tried to step forward to join Ryuji, he felt it.  
  
A knot had jumped from his stomach into his throat as he fell, the sight of the forest falling away into the darkness of crumbling earth. He'd felt Ryuji's paw grip his hand for a split second, but then they'd lost contact, and he was left tumbling through empty space and being pelted by the falling debris around him.  
  
A slamming jolt broke his fall, pain shooting through his body. He tried to open his eyes and sit up, but the moment he did his vision swam, his head spinning and aching like he'd been bashed with a sledgehammer.   
  
_I can't..._  
  
Letting his head fall back to rest on the ground, he closed his eyes, immediately drifting into darkness.  
__  
~~~  
  
"Agh! Geez, my head feels like it's been cracked open! What kind of dang-Dude! Akira, you okay?!?" __  
  
Who's voice is that? Do they have to be so loud?  
  
"Come on dude, this isn't funny! Get up!"  
  
Shaking. The earth was shaking. No, wait, just him. Someone was shaking him.  
  
Cracking open an eye brought nothing but the sting of something falling into it, and he winced, reaching up to try and rub at it.   
  
"Oh, you're wakin' up! Hang on buddy, I think ya' got a lil' somethin' there..."  
  
Feeling his own arm get pushed away, he had to choice but to wait as instructed, soon feeling soft fingers brushing around his closed eyes.  
  
"Man, you've got dirt all up in this thing! No wonder it's gettin' in your eyes! Ya' ever think of like, takin' this ugly thing off and-"  
  
_It stays on!!!_  
  
A sharp snarl had escaped his jaws before he'd even had a chance to consider his actions, the bone in his teeth clattering to the floor as he gnashed his teeth in warning. Opening up his eyes revealed a sight that quickly silenced him though.  
__  
There, sitting just a foot away from him, was a creature he soon remembered as the Ryuji from before, and he looked uncharacteristically nervous. His yellow and brown pelt was puffed up, every muscle tensed like he was prepared to spring out of the way, and his teeth were bared, showing off pearly white canines. One of his forepaws was slightly raised and trembling, and while he couldn't spot any sort of injury, it was clear that the creature must have just jerked it out of the way.   
  
_I didn't mean to...Why did I...?_  
__  
"Hey man, I was just tryin' to help!" the creature hissed, stepping forwards to stare him down despite the slight quiver in his voice. "I don't care how mad you are, ya' don't go around attackin' pokemon! Especially without any dang warning!"  
  
_I would never attack someone...or at least, I don't think I would? I...I don't think I did before...did I?_  
  
He tucked his tail in, attempting to make himself smaller as he scooted backwards to give Ryuji some space. What had even triggered him to act that way? All Ryuji had done was help brush the dirt from his eyes! Sure, he'd made that comment, but he hated this hideous skull anyways! So...why had he suddenly felt so violently protective at _the mere idea_ of removing it?  
  
He hadn't even thought about it before he'd tried to bite him...what if he got that way again? This new form...was he some sort of _monster_ after all? If so...maybe he deserved to stay down here...  
  
"Hey...Akira, what's goin' on?"  
  
Ryuji's voice seemed to have calmed while he'd been busy thinking, and now the creature was cocking its head to study him, fur smoothed down and body relaxed.   
  
"Ya' don't look like you're still aggressive or anything, so I guess that means you're sorry? I kinda snapped at you too, I guess, so uh...that's my apology. I shouldn't've pried, y'know? Guess I wouldn't want somebody tuggin' on my face!" he chuckled, rubbing his paws together awkwardly. "Anyway, whad'ya say we both move on, long as it doesn't happen again? We got more important stuff to worry about..." he added, gesturing upwards.  
  
Nodding and following where Ryuji's fingers were pointing, he finally took note of the area they had woken up in. They were surrounded by walls on all sides, and far above them was a sprawling hole, inconsistent in shape and littered with dangling vines, branches, and other objects that were hanging off of the edges, balanced precariously. The thing looked like it could cave in again at any moment.   
  
"Remember what happened before you blacked out, when everything started crumblin'? I'm pretty sure that was an earthquake? Or maybe we were on top of one of those 'sinkhole' thingies? Anyway, there've been all kinds of weird natural disasters like that happening around the continent, so I guess it figures we'd get caught in the middle of one at some point. I thought that forest was clear when I scoped it out a few days ago, but there must've been some hollow ground pretty far underneath it. I'm guessin' the disaster just cleared enough of the solid ground on top for us to fall through. We fell pretty dang far, too..."  
  
_Natural disasters? All around the continent?_  
  
Great. The world in his vague memory had seemed much safer...  
  
"Well, we sure can't get back up from there. There aren't enough footholds for me, and even if there were, you can't climb that well. Plus the ground's probably still super unstable anyways." Ryuji sighed, rubbing the back of his head with a forepaw. "Guess we'll just have to find another way outta here. Looks a lot like a tunnel system to me, so there's gotta be some holes that lead above ground somewhere else in the forest. The only question is how many turns we'll have to take before we find the right one, y'know?"   
  
Brushing the rest of the dirt off of his fur, Ryuji began walking again, ears twitching as he reached the first opening and poked his head around. "Yeah, it opens up into a narrow path here. Definitely gonna be some tunnels then. Most of 'em will probably loop around into each other, so we gotta look for the few that angle up! Those'll lead back to the surface." Seeing Ryuji beckon with his tail, he trotted after him, peeking around the corner to look at the path for himself. The dirt walls rose up for several feet on all the surrounding sides, and he could only see because of the patches of sunlight that shone through a few holes in the greenery-covered roof.    
  
"Ya' might wanna be careful, Akira. These tunnels look too fresh to be abandoned. I'll bet'cha a bunch of rattata or somethin' made their nests down here. Should be fine though. Most pokemon don't mind ya' passin' through their territory as long as you're polite and stuff. Just don't steal their food or step on their tails or anythin', and we'll be outta here in no time. Heck, maybe we can get one of them to lead us out of here..."  
  
He had no idea what a 'rattata' was, but to be fair, it probably didn't matter. He just needed to keep watch for anything that looked alive, basically. Just avoid any strange living thing at all, and he'd be fine. Mind his own business. He could do that.   
  
These sure were bizarre looking tunnels though. They twisted around in ways that felt almost unnatural, sometimes opening up into massive rooms that took a while to walk through, or turning into a whole bunch of tiny dead ends that required them to backtrack all over again until they found a new path to follow. If something was building these tunnels to live in and go places, wouldn't they be more streamlined, more efficient?   
  
_Maybe they were designed to trap trespassers..._  
  
Stiffening up at the thought, he clutched his bone tighter, quickening his footsteps to follow Ryuji. Maybe they should start marking their path, so that they wouldn't be confused if they ended up going in a circle? Reaching out his right arm, he dug his claws into the soil, testing it. Not too crumbly, but not rock hard either. Perfect. Keeping his hand there, he progressed more slowly, leaving a long claw mark as they began rounding the corner.   
  
"Hey, good thinkin', Akira! Keep doin' that whenever we gotta pick a direction!"  
  
~~~  
  
And so on and on it had progressed for turn after turn, each growing more frustrating than the last. What kind of creature needed to live in tunnels that were this confusing!?! Oddly enough, he hadn't seen a single soul since they had been down here either. Did anyone live here at all? Maybe Ryuji had been wrong...  
  
"Ooh, dude, I think I finally found it! Come on!"  
  
His energy renewed from the idea that they might finally be done walking soon, he quickened his pace to follow Ryuji, darting into the next room with him. However, he soon slammed into the creature's striped back, barely regaining his balance to keep them both from falling over.   
__  
Why did he stop? What is it?  
  
"Crap...Listen, Akira, I think this was the easy part..."  
  
_Huh?_  
  
Ryuji began walking forwards, finally giving his room to see what the other was staring at. A bizarre set of stairs, tucked away into the middle of the floor. They didn't quite seem solid, shimmering almost like a mirage.   
  
"Stick close to me, alright? I don't think this is just some set of tunnels after all. I uh, I think it's a dungeon..."  
  
_A dungeon?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated to let me know what you think! <3 Thank you so much for reading or leaving kudos!
> 
> I also have a writing tumblr where I post occasionally, and I'd love to be able to interact with you all there! The url is ursine-enchantment.tumblr.com!


	5. ??? Forest and Ryuji's Hut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and Ryuji continue to traverse their first dungeon...what dangers will they encounter? And what will they do once (if) they escape?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Belated Easter Fools Everyone <3 (I missed posting on the day by a couple of hours RIP) 
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter and getting to explain a bit about how dungeons work in this universe (another character will be filling us in with other details later, since they're more experienced with the actual thing)! Also one of my faves makes their debut in this one! <333 They'll be serving a replacement role for a certain confidant that can't be brought into the pokemon world for story reasons, and I'm having a lot of fun playing around with how things will change as a result of that! (Remember, this fanfic isn't always going to directly correlate with P5's story and events, since that one is WAY too long and complex for me to try and replicate!)

_A dungeon?_  
  
Alright, so this was a different world than the one he'd seen in that memory, but weren't dungeons usually a bunch of stone basements and torture devices, prisoners chained to the walls, that sort of thing? Ooh, a dirt tunnel with sunshine poking through, now that was _real_ scary!  
  
He'd almost given in to the impulse to chuckle, sure that Ryuji was just pulling his leg, but then he took another glance at his guide. He'd started crawling on all fours, tail stuck out behind him as he edged closer to the mysterious stairway, peering into it with wide brown eyes. Nothing in his body language conveyed anything but wariness.  
  
_It's just a staircase though...isn't it?_  
  
Yes, a shimmering staircase in the middle of a dirt floor was bizarre, but...what part of this world _hadn't_ been strange so far?  
  
They didn't exactly have anywhere else to go, either. They'd checked all the other tunnels, and they still had no ways of climbing out of a pit this deep. Their only option was to see where this lead.  
  
Stepping forward a few paces, he tried to summon up some courage (or if he couldn't manage that, at least feign indifference), staring down at the mirage at his feet.  
  
"Hey, hang on! Maybe we could-"  
  
He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but his foot ended up hitting a solid metal step, his claws thumping against it. Encouraged, he quickened his pace.  
**  
Thump. Thump. Thump.**  
  
Once he'd gone down deep enough to lose sight of the land above, he was greeted with darkness, pitch black and seemingly unending. No, wait. There was something shimmering around him and the stairs, fading in and out of focus. Red, scattered and shifting in ever-changing, organic patterns. Never straight lines, always moving and curling in a way that felt very distinctly... _alive._  
  
_Like blood maybe, running through veins?_  
  
Ugh, that concept was kind of unsettling. Despite his aversion to the thought though, the sight before him...It didn't instill fear in him. If anything, it was actually almost hypnotic...they way they never stopped swirling, all around him...pulsing...rhythmic...  
  
_Why am I here again?_  
  
It was getting a bit difficult to think of anything else besides the place he was in now, this moment. There was no sound here, but he swore he could make out a distant murmur. What was that? Wind? Voices?  
  
_I feel like...it wants something from me..._  
  
A sudden pressure against his back caught him off guard, snapping his gaze away from the rest of the space as he stumbled, nearly losing his footing as he half-ran down the rest of the straight stairway. The moment he'd jumped off, landing in dark soil, something else thudded behind him.   
  
"What was the hold up, man?!? Don't just stop in the middle of a one-way path like that, geez!"  
  
Ryuji continued to grumble under his breath as he stepped in front, ears raised up like a hare's as he surveyed the area.  
  
Shaking his head, he turned to look back, curiosity still piqued by the wonders he'd just seen. But to his shock, the land behind them was empty!  
  
_It's just more dirt, and another wall! But...where did it go?_  
  
Well, they'd been travelling down. He jerked his head upwards, half-hoping to see a square hole where they'd jumped off from, but the roof looked about the same as the area they'd been in a few minutes ago.  
  
_It couldn't be a mirage if we both walked down it! Stairways don't just disappear!_  
  
He reached up with his free hand, rubbing one of the horns on his skull. _This place is starting to give me a headache..._  
  
Just what kind of world had he been forced into?  
  
"Alright...I don't hear anything scuttlin' around, so we should be okay sittin' here for a sec!" Ryuji huffed. "Ya' look pretty confused...heh, don't tell me ya've never heard of dungeons either!"  
  
When he shook his head no, the creature bristled as if he'd grown a second-head. "I was kiddin', dude! Are you for real, or just pullin' my tail?!?"  
  
Oh, what he wouldn't give to shout 'Sorry, but I don't know ANYTHING! I'm not even supposed to BE HERE!' It was beginning to get old, feeling like he'd just been transferred to the wrong class and been handed a final exam...  
  
He really wished Ryuji had more patience. Instead, all he could do was try to bottle away his irritation, keep a blank face, and shake his head 'no' again, slowly.  
  
"Seriously, what's your deal?!? Ya' been livin' under a rock or somethin'? The whole continent's had these goin' on for, like, a couple of years now..." Ryuji muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down. "Alright, I'll try to explain it, but I don't know much 'sides the basics. This is the first time I've actually ended up _in_ one..." He patted a spot on the ground with his tail, gesturing for him to sit beside him, then sighed, looking up at the space above them.  
  
"Alright, so from what everybody says, the world's kinda gone to crap. Like I said earlier, there's been all kinds of natural disasters. Earthquakes, flooding, huge fires, you name it...The weather can be just fine, and then, BAM! Total chaos! No one really knows why everything's so outta whack, but we do know that once all this stuff started happening, the dungeons appeared..." the rodent started, wriggling his fingers like they were swapping horror stories around a campfire. "Now, anybody who's got any sense usually stays away from 'em, even a daredevil like me! They're like these big maze territories, with a ton of dead-ends and dangerous traps. I'm talkin' reports of poison spikes that impale ya', or pitfalls that blow pokemon up. I'm not sure if the traps kinda just...come with the place, or if somebody sets them up, but it's something to watch out for, y'know?"  
  
Those did sound like pretty lethal traps. It was hard to imagine something that dangerous in a plain, dirt tunnel like this, but...Ryuji seemed to be serious.   
  
"Besides the traps though, there's something really weird about these places. They're never the same twice. When investigators first started covering the reports, they sent a bunch of professionals inside to mark down maps, so that Pokemon living near 'em could find their way through if they needed to travel out of town and stuff. But every group that went in would come out sayin' it didn't match the maps, _if_ they even made it out at all. The only way to find your way through is to climb those crazy stairs, like we did. Just keep searching for those, over and over, until you get through the entire thing and back out into the open."  
  
So this was going to be a test of endurance then. Could they get through all of this in one go? Maybe they'd have to camp out, travel through this place for _days_ until they escaped... _if_ they escaped...  
  
"Well, that's about everything I know. If this was one of the big ones that everyone already knew about, there'd be scout patrols flying and digging around the area, and we could just wait around for one of those. They sweep dungeons in the real populated areas and send back missing pokemon reports to the officials, and then they send out professionals called a Rescue Team to bust in and save 'em. But seein' as this one just kinda opened up, nobody for miles is gonna know we're here..." Ryuji gritted his teeth, standing up and puffing out his chest. "So we're just gonna have to save ourselves, got it? Come on, we shouldn't hang around one spot for too long!"  
  
While he was scrambling to stand up, the rodent was already scampering towards one of the two openings in the room, peering out and sniffing the air, ears flicking back and forth. Were those simply nervous twitches, or was there something specific he was trying to sense?   
  
"Alright, the coast seems clear...move it!"   
  
Not wanting to be left behind, he ran after the fleeing creature all the way down a long hallway, stumbling to turn at a right angle when the other suddenly turned to go down a corner, and then another. Once they reached a dead end, Ryuji leaped over him to immediately lead the way back, taking the other path when they returned to the intersection. Clumps of dirt and dust were constantly being kicked up by his guide's feet, and he struggled to rub at his mask while he ran, his eyes stinging. He had to power through it though, because pausing to clean it properly would mean running the risk of getting separated.  
_  
Is it safe to just bolt blindly through something like this? I'm scared too, but making split-second decisions is just going to get us lost. And what about the traps? He could set one off if he isn't watching where he's stepping!_  
  
Growling to himself in frustration, he burst through the opening to follow Ryuji into a wider room, stopping to catch his breath.   
  
"Dang it! Another dead end! We'd better turn around and-"  
  
_Hang on for a second!_  
  
Straightening up, he spread his arms out as wide as they could go (which, actually wasn't very wide. Curse these stumpy lizard arms), attempting to block the doorway they'd just come through, fixing Ryuji with a glare.  
  
"What's your deal? Ya' know I could just leap over you, right?" Ryuji huffed, folding his arms over his chest and cocking his head. "We've gotta get outta here quick, before somethin' happens!"  
  
He refused to budge. He was going to get this guy to slow down before they both got hurt, one way or another.   
_  
Something like this, it needs to be done calmly, with a clear head. Not by acting rashly._  
  
**_Grrrr...._ **  
  
"Hey, don't you growl at me! I dunno what your problem is, but if ya' don't like the way things are going, then you can find your own way out!"  
  
What was Ryuji getting snippy for? He hadn't growled!   
  
**_Grrrr...._ **  
  
Oh. Well, so he had, just not from his mouth. Lowering his arms, he rested one over his stomach for a moment, glancing away. On top of all their problems, he had to pick _now_ to get hungry? Not just peckish, but honestly _starving._  
  
There wasn't anything he could do about it though. More motivation to get out of here...  
  
Sighing, he stepped out of the way, letting Ryuji stomp past him. He was still irritated at the way the creature was handling things, but without the ability to speak, he doubted he could persuade him to slow down. He'd just have to keep up and hope they didn't get killed...  
  
~~~  
  
Keeping up proved to be much more difficult once he'd taken notice of his empty stomach. He tried his best to keep trotting behind Ryuji, but his stomach kept cramping if he ran for too long at once, the ache turning into a shooting pain that made him want to hunch over and curl up into a ball. After a particularly long hallway, he stopped to lean against a wall, heaving for breath and trying not to wince at the stabbing sensations in his side.   
  
"Dude, _come on!_ I'm sure we'll be at the stairs soon, you can catch your breath then!" The edge in Ryuji's voice wasn't just impatience. The anxiety was still leaking through, growing worse the longer they were wandering in loops, and it reminded him of his own fraying nerves. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand up straight and get moving again.  
  
He was getting so _tired_ though...  
  
He'd thought he was just a bit shaky as they entered a brand new section of the maze, but soon he ended up having to use his bone as a crutch to support himself, digging its sharp tip into the dirt wall every few steps whenever he needed to hold himself up.   
  
"Ugh, seriously, why are you walkin' so slow?!? Can't ya' speed it up?" Ryuji had backtracked to meet him, exhasperation clear on his face. Or at least, it was clear for a moment.  
  
Then it kind of started to blur, darkening at the edges.  
  
"Woah, uh...Akira? You okay?"  
  
Shaking his head, he managed to get his view back into focus, although his body was still wracked with pin-pricking sensations. His pulse had picked up too, pounding with a heightened intensity that he could almost feel in his temples.  
  
_I've already dragged him into enough trouble today...I'll be fine._  
  
After all, if Ryuji hadn't stopped to help him back in the forest, he might have actually left and gone on home before everything had caved in...  
  
Nodding his head 'yes', he forced himself to pick up the pace, nudging Ryuji to keep moving.  
_  
Is the sun starting to peek through more? It feels a lot warmer in here..._ A glance upwards revealed more of the same roof they'd been travelling under for ages now, but he was pretty sure if he could sweat, he would be drenched by this point.  
  
They made it through two more rooms before his surroundings began spinning, and the only reason he didn't hit the floor was because he'd thumped against Ryuji's pelt.   
  
"Woah, okay, h-hang on! Akira?" The rodent had shifted to lay him on the ground, propping his feet up against the wall. "Stay with me, okay? Ya' look like you're gonna pass out..." He tried to nod, but the action only seemed to make him dizzier.   
  
_I can't black out here!_  
  
Staring upwards, he struggled to focus on the few leaves he could see.  
  
"Do ya' think you can walk? I'll slow down for ya'..."   
  
Honestly, he wasn't sure if he could, but sticking around here wasn't going to help anything. Slowly, he pulled his feet down and reached around, his limbs trembling as he forced himself to push off from the ground. The moment he stood up, his head buzzed, and his arms and legs felt fuzzy, one hand weakly reaching out to clutch Ryuji's shoulder.   
  
"Don't worry, I got'cha...you really don't have my kind of stamina, do ya'?" he muttered, walking carefully on his hind legs as they began moving through the corridor. "I shouldn't've pushed ya' so hard. I'm just...this place is bitin' my tail, y'know? We've been rushin' around for ages, and we're still on a single floor! If it takes this long for all of 'em...I-I..." Ryuji gritted his teeth for a moment, clearly upset that he'd let his voice crack. "Forget it. Mopin' ain't gonna get us out of here. We've just gotta power through."  
_  
Right. Power through. That's what we've got to do..._  
  
~~~  
  
They'd been progressing (even if it was at a snail's pace) for at least another half hour, but it was getting harder and harder to keep up. Every few steps had his legs shaking, and the heat and dizziness kept threatening to overtake him no matter how hard he focused on staying conscious. Ryuji had tried to keep him alert with various ramblings, but his mouth had finally gone dry enough to force him into silence, spare the occasional order on which way to turn.   
  
Just as all hope seemed lost though, they were greeted with their first stroke of luck since arriving.   
  
"Dude, check it out!"   
  
Ryuji darted ahead with renewed vigor, pulling away so quickly that he ended up falling onto his stomach without the shoulder to cling onto. Wincing as white speckled the edges of his vision, he was struggling to heave himself up when something rolled in front of his snout.  
_  
What's that blue blur?_  
  
Finally managing to pull back and sit upright, his vision focused on the round object in front of him. It kind of looked like a fruit, but it definitely wasn't one he'd ever seen before. Despite his growling stomach, he stayed put, staring at it dubiously. Wasn't that one of the first rules of the wilderness? Don't eat wild berries unless you can absolutely identify them?  
  
"Dude, what are ya' waitin' for? There's a whole load of oran berries here! Apples too!" Ryuji was digging through a small pile, half-tucked into a space in the wall. He kicked another one of the blue things towards him, then tossed an apple after it. "Dig in quick, 'cuz we'll need to get moving again soon! I think there's only one more hallway, so the stairs have gotta be in that one! Dang, I wish we could carry some of this stuff...too bad we don't have a sack or somethin'..."  
  
Well, if Ryuji knew what these berries were called, he guessed that meant they were safe to eat. Reaching out shakily, he took hold of the first berry and bit into it. Oddly enough, it didn't burst into juice like he'd expected, instead revealing soft flesh behind the thin, tougher skin.   
_  
Huh. More like a peach than a berry.  
  
_ Classification aside, it was still food though, and he barely took the time to taste it as he chewed, scarfing the rest down in a few frantic bites before moving on to the other two fruits. He was still dizzy, but his strength seemed to be slowly returning as he ate, thankfully.   
  
"Geez, you could give me a run for my money in an eatin' contest, couldn't ya'? Here, take as much as you want!" Ryuji shoved another load of food towards him, shoving a couple of berries into his own mouth.   
_  
I'm sure we'll regret eating so much so fast once we get walking again, but we don't really have a choice. We might not find anything else like this, and we've still got a long way to go. I'd rather fill up than get lightheaded again..._  
  
He was on his third apple when he saw Ryuji stiffen up in the middle of chewing, pricking his ears and standing on his hind legs. He seemed to be listening intently to something.  
  
_What's he-_  
  
Ryuji swallowed his mouthful slowly, not removing his gaze from the point he was staring at on the other side of the room. "Akira..." he hissed, keeping his voice at a much lower volume than he'd heard in the time they'd spent together. _"Don't move."  
  
_ Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was move, to spin around and get a look at whatever was behind him. But he refrained, keeping his body rigid and his gaze on the half-eaten apple in his grip. He held his breath, his heart beginning to pound as the seconds stretched on, still not knowing what the threat was, what might happen.  
  
Footsteps. There were footsteps moving behind him now, slow and calculated.   
  
"It's circlin' to the side." Ryuji whispered, his brown gaze following whatever creature lurked just out of sight. "When I say 'go', we're gonna sneak outta here, got it? I think it just wants this food. Follow my lead."  
  
More footsteps to his left, and he finally saw the intruder step deeper into the room, coming towards Ryuji and the main pile of fruit. Some sort of large bird, about his own size. Brown and black, with ruffled feathers and sharp talons that dug into the dirt with each firm step.   
_  
It definitely doesn't look friendly..._  
  
"Easy now...we were just leavin'..." Ryuji murmured, ears flattening as he took a single step backwards. "Ya' can have this whole buffet..." Another step back, and he twitched his tail, pointing back to the entrance. "Go..."  
  
Setting his apple on the floor, he reached his arms back, shifting to push off and stand and keeping his eyes on the bird that was now staring at the pile as he grabbed his precious bone.   
  
_Slow and steady now. I can be stealthy. I can sneak out of here._  
  
Afraid to turn his back to the animal, he kept walking backwards, taking a few steps at a time before freezing in place.   
  
"That's good...we're almost there..." Ryuji muttered, circling around the animal and beginning to walk forwards on all fours.  
  
A few more steps, and he saw the walls on the edges of his vision begin to close in. So he was almost at the thin opening then...  
  
**"ROW! ROW! ROW!"**  
  
The earsplitting call seemed to echo throughout the room as the bird stomped around the pile's leftovers, flapping its wings and screeching over and over as it began kicking dust up, glaring straight at them.   
  
"Crap! Run!"  
  
He whipped around to bolt, only to flinch back as a storm of dust whirled in front of the thin entrance, wind blasting from all directions. The calls seemed to be getting louder and more frequent, but then something landed in front of him. Flapping sounds, and then another thump. And another.   
_  
Alfred Hitchcock, were you in one of those graves I passed?_  
  
Because when the dust finally settled, he found himself face to face with _an entire army_ of those angry birds, all lined up to block the tunnel leading out of the room. All of them flapping their wings and screeching, growing more agitated as the first of their flock flew over his head to stand in front of them.   
  
_I'm guessing this was their stash of food..._  
  
He turned to look at Ryuji as the rodent stood at his side, his fur bristling.   
  
These birds looked intimidating, but they were still just birds, right? Usually they would fly off if you ran at them or made a bunch of noise. If he could at least scare them into moving for a moment, they could both dart past them. Sure, they might get pecked at afterwards, but they could probably still outrun them to the stairs in that last hallway. Hopefully. And he had these scales and (essentially) a helmet, so...it wouldn't exactly be lethal if he got swarmed.  
  
He couldn't growl very loudly, so making noise was out, but...he was some sort of reptile, right, kind of like a dinosaur? When a Tyrannosaurus lashed its tail in movies, it always looked pretty intimidating. Maybe that could send them scattering for a second. It was worth a shot.  
_  
_ Narrowing his eyes into the best glare he could muster, he whirled around, letting his tail swing from side to side as he stepped backwards to get closer to the enemy lines. _  
  
That's right, I'm a dinosaur! Fear me! I'm Godzilla, I'll knock down your buildings with this tail! I'll destroy your nests in a single swing! I am the King of Monsters, the Destroyer of Tokyo, the-_  
  
"Row?"  
  
"Spear-spear..."  
  
"CAW-HAW-HAW! CAW! CAW-HAW!"  
  
A chorus of squawks erupted from behind him, but they didn't sound panicked. If anything...it sounded like they were _laughing._  
  
"What the heck was _that?"  
  
_ He finally turned around to see even Ryuji was struggling to hold back a chuckle, looking at him with bemusement as he shook his head.   
  
"You looked ridiculous, trying to wag that stubby thing! Was that supposed to be an attack or somethin'?" Ryuji scoffed, crouching to wag his haunches as he eyed the leader of the birds, weighing their options. "If we've got no choice but to fight these guys...Lemme show ya' how it's done!"   
  
Raising that strange tail until it stood straight up, Ryuji gritted his teeth, snarling.   
  
_Wait, what's he doing? He's not actually going to spring at them, is he?_  
  
But to his amazement, those bright cheeks of Ryuji's began to glow in the center, and there was a low buzzing noise, filling the air with a steady hum. The fur all along the creature's body was fluffing up with static, and it crackled with his movements as he suddenly jumped up, launching into the air with a yell, sparks flying from his face. "TAKE THIS, YA' BUNCH'A LOUDMOUTHS!" The very sky seemed to split open then, a bolt of lightning plummeting down as thunder rumbled around the room.  
  
_Holy...There's no way that he...Did that come from..._  
  
He really wasn't sure he could comprehend what he was witnessing, this animal _generating literal electricity and launching it from his body,_ but here it was, right in front of him. An event that was shaking him to his core, jolting him with-  
  
**_BZZT!_ **  
  
A flash took over his vision for a few seconds, that humming running over his body, but it was over as quickly as the feeling had struck him, leaving him blinking as he waited tensely for the attack to hit the target. Those poor birds...were they really going to be electrocuted? He almost didn't want to watch...  
  
"What the- _WHAT THE HECK DID YOU JUST DO!?!"  
  
_ Ryuji's yelling startled him, and he turned to see that he'd gotten back onto two legs, looking both confused and furious.   
  
_What? I didn't do anything!_  
  
He'd started to shrug and cock his head, but Ryuji was flailing his arms, circling him. "It was comin' down just fine, b-but then it just-How did it-YOU _STOLE_ MY DANG ATTACK!"  
  
_Stole it? What is he talking about?  
_  
"Lemme try again!" Furrowing his brows in concentration, Ryuji allowed his body to build static again, launching a quicker, less powerful jolt towards the lead bird (who was looking pretty fearful, actually).   
  
Once again, that strange flash and humming feeling ran through him, but once it disappeared, the birds remained unharmed.   
  
"SERIOUSLY, HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!? I'm tryin' to save your sorry hide here!"  
  
_Was that feeling...electricity hitting me? But it didn't hurt at all...I barely felt it!_  
  
He shook his head helplessly at Ryuji, throwing up his claws in a surrendering gesture.   
  
"Ugh, fine! Maybe we can-"  
  
"ROW! ROW! SPEAR-SPEAR!"  
  
Flapping erupted as the lead bird began screeching again, taking to the air as the rest of the birds began to prowl forwards, stomping step by step with vicious gleams in their eyes.  
  
"Crap! Guess they know we're not a threat now!" Ryuji flinched back as one pecked the ground a few inches from where his foot was.  
  
They were all squawking now, jabbing with their beaks or lashing out with their talons as they closed the distance, forcing him and his guide back further and further. He tried to scan past them for a route of escape, but they'd taken over every side, keeping a tight enough line that there was no way to dart past before they all launched themselves on them. The one leader was still circling the air above, swooping down every few steps to force them to duck, and soon the spikes on his spine pressed against a hard surface.  
_  
We've literally got our backs to the wall here..._  
  
Was this how they were going to go out? Mauled by birds in the middle of a maze?  
  
Gritting his teeth, he growled at them, as pointless as it was.   
  
"SPEAR!"  
  
One of them finally broke the line, launching forwards to bash into his head, and then all chaos had broken loose. The air was filled with screeching as the flock took turns launching themselves at them, the others making sure there was nowhere to run. Beaks and talons jabbed at him from all sides, and unlike the branches and thorns he'd managed before, these seemed to be strong enough to scratch through his thick skin, sharp pain stinging over and over as he stumbled and flailed his limbs, trying in vain to shake them off. He couldn't see anything except for feathers, and all of this movement was disorienting. He tripped to land on his stomach with a thud, desperately covering his head with his arms so that they couldn't reach the holes in his mask.   
_  
Please don't pluck out my eyes, please please please..._  
  
Another one crashed into his side with a heavy blow, and his head span for a split second.   
_  
This reminds me of something, but wh-_  
  
Another screech shattered whatever thread of concentration he'd had, and he found himself pulled entirely back into the present, all of his focus going towards the increasing pain and terror coursing through him.  
  
_If I could get up, I could run, but there's so many on top of me..._  
  
"Back off of him, ya' filthy featherheads!"   
  
There was a screech of pain, then another, and he felt the weight on top of his back lighten. Scrambling to get up, he flailed he arms to try and shoo some of his attackers away, catching sight of Ryuji a few feet away. He was scratched all over, his golden fur tinted orange from the scarlet oozing from his wounds, but despite his panting he stood firm, holding a sharp rock in one hand that was poised to throw.   
  
"There's a bunch of ammo near that pile of fruit, Akira! Grab it and let's show these monsters who's boss!"  
  
Nodding, he darted forwards without hesitation, stumbling as more of the birds came swooping towards him, a few landing extra hits in. He could hear Ryuji chucking rocks left and right, his targets screeching in the air as they were pelted. Yes, behind the berries and apples he could see a nest further in the hole, half-destroyed when they'd torn through to dig out the food. Wincing as the animals continued to claw at his back, he grabbed as many rocks and sticks as he could gather, backing out frantically to run and join Ryuji. He'd seemed to wound a few of their enemies enough for them to fly away, but they were still surrounded, and the attempts to resist had only made the group angrier.   
_  
We don't have to take all of them down though. If we can just clear a path, we can dart out of here...  
  
_ Nudging Ryuji's shoulder with his own, he pointed towards the exit, gesturing towards the birds blocking it with a rock in his claws _.  
  
_ "Got'cha. When it opens up, don't wait up for me though. Just bolt towards the last hallway. I'll meet'cha there." _  
  
No, wait! What if he-  
  
_ "Don't give me that look, I know what I'm doin'! Just trust me!" _  
  
_ Swallowing his nerves, he nodded, ducking as another bird launched for his head. As soon as he popped back up he hurled one of the rocks, beaming one of the targets in the right wing. Ryuji bashed another one in the stomach, and they picked up the pace, throwing rocks as frantically as they could. It was hard to aim with all of the chaos, and they still kept getting attacked, but once he shook a few feathers off of his mask he saw that he finally had his chance, the last guard in his way taking to the air in preparation to swoop. _  
  
_ He took off as fast as his legs could carry him, staggering past the cluster and not daring to look back as he ran through the opening, immediately ducking right to head down the final hallway. He could hear a couple of the birds flying behind him, refusing to give up the fight as he entered the small room and turned around. They were launching with their talons raised as he hurled a couple of sticks, only managing to throw them off course instead of actually wounding them. They landed a few feet from him, and were already staggering back to their feet, stepping towards him. He glanced away for a second to spot the coveted stairway in the corner, then turned his attention back to his enemies.  
  
_Come on, Ryuji...I don't want to leave without you..._  
  
Just as he was readying more sticks to throw, a couple of rocks beamed the birds in the head, and they swayed before slumping to the ground, unconscious. Ryuji bolted on all fours towards him, the distant sound of flapping wings not far behind. He didn't speak, instead reaching out to shove him until they both stumbled towards the stairway and jumped down inside, disappearing into the floor.  
  
Once they were safely hidden in the strange black and red space, Ryuji shoved his paws in his mouth, pulling two oran berries from his cheeks in the same way he'd seen hamsters store food. He held one of them out towards him, gesturing for him to take it.  
_  
I appreciate the gesture, but...gross..._  
  
Grimacing, he held the saliva-drenched berry in his free hand, staring at it as he tried to figure out whether he actually had the nerve to put it in his mouth. He was still pretty full from their feast earlier, so maybe he could politely decline-  
  
"Eat it, ya' dork. I went through a lotta trouble for that, and you need it! Ya' won't last through another fight if you don't heal."  
  
_Heal? It's just a piece of fruit!_  
  
But Ryuji looked like he was going to physically shove it down his throat if he didn't take it, so he gulped, taking a breath before he shoved the entire thing into his mouth. Ugh, it was warm...  
_  
Just get it over with. At least he didn't chew it first, right? It could be worse..._  
  
Swallowing as quickly as he could after chewing it up, he tried not to gag, watching as Ryuji nodded in approval and ate his own berry.   
  
His cuts weren't burning as much right now though, he realized. They were still covered in drying blood, but he was in much less pain than before.   
  
_Medicine doesn't work that quickly. Was he serious about this thing healing me?  
  
_ "Alright. Well, obviously neither of us can fight, so we'll need to think outside the box as we go on. Hand me half of your sticks, and we'll keep an eye out for anything else we can use." Ryuji ordered. "I think those spearow were all patrollin' the skies somewhere before they found us, and that's why we didn't run into anything else on that floor. They're real territorial, so I doubt other species wanted to hang out there. But there could be other stuff ahead, so we've gotta be ready, okay?"  
  
Spearow. Is that what they were called? He guessed that made sense with the noises they made.  
  
Passing some of his sticks over, he began leading the way down the stairs, keeping his eyes on the steps so that he didn't get distracted by the scenery. He had to admit, he was dreading stepping out into the dungeon again. But they had no choice but to keep going...  
  
~~~  
  
"H-Hang on, Akira...we're almost there..."  
  
Huffing and puffing, he trudged after Ryuji, barely able to stand upright. This dirt road was fairly smooth, but he still felt like he was ready to trip at any moment.  
  
"There it is! Ya' see it, right over there?"  
  
Up ahead, resting in a nice section of forest clearing next to a stream, framed by the setting sun, was a small, dome-shaped hut. It seemed to be made of a mix of wood, straw, and stone, and painted bright orange and yellow. It seemed to resemble some sort of creature, but he really didn't know what...  
  
At least it seemed to be smiling. If he wasn't so exhausted and sore, he might have found it pretty cute. Like one of those themed café buildings, or a mascot.   
  
It really didn't seem like the type of house that fit Ryuji though. He'd pictured something kind of rough and punkish...maybe a junkyard, or some kind of cool fort.  
  
It didn't matter though. He just wanted to sit down before he fell over...  
  
Quickening his pace as much as he was able, he started to head towards the door.  
  
"Wait, hang on a sec!" He stopped when a tail lashed in front of him and blocked his way forwards, glancing quizzically at Ryuji.   
_  
What's his problem?_  
  
"We can't go in lookin' like this! Mom'll flip out and get all worried, and she's got enough on her plate already..." Ryuji muttered, scratching his head. "Let's at least wash the blood and dirt off..." Taking his hand, Ryuji began pulling him towards the stream. As he began to dip his paws into the water, he hardened his gaze, staring at him firmly. "She _can't_ know what we actually did today, okay? We won't tell her about the dungeon. If she asks about the scratches, I'll just tell 'er we tripped into a big thorn bush on the way here!"  
  
Dipping his toes into the water and shuddering, he stepped in to his waist and tried to wash off as gently as possible.   
  
_I was fine drinking it, but...all of this water feels really uncomfortable..._  
  
"Geez, you're barely gettin' any of it off! Let me do it!" Without warning, he felt hands on his shoulders, and then he was dunked roughly under the water, yanked up a moment later. Spluttering, he shook his head, coughing as Ryuji tried to scrub him. "Seriously, do you bathe in mud or somethin'? This stuff is caked on! And no offense, but you _reek,_ dude...Gettin' sweaty is fine, but you smell like something _rotted."_ he muttered, pulling him back onto the grass. "Go roll in that patch of flowers!"  
  
Trying his best not to be too offended, (although honestly, he agreed. The hygiene of this new form left _a lot_ to be desired...), he followed the advice, returning to Ryuji's side once he was nearly _drowned_ in nature's perfume.  
  
Ryuji looked him over one more time, then nodded in approval, shaking out his pelt so that he was fairly dry. "Alright. I guess that's as presentable as you're gonna get. Come on, let's go in and we'll get ya' situated."  
  
Following slowly, he stood a little ways behind while Ryuji knocked on the white door. "Mom, I'm home! And there's someone ya' gotta meet!"  
  
The door opened almost immediately, and he was startled to see that the creature standing there looked exactly like the house. An orange and yellow rodent with a white underbelly, at least twice Ryuji's size, but with a similar facial structure. But...actually, she wasn't standing. She was _floating_ on some sort of yellow platform.  
_  
Does that mean Ryuji can fly too?  
  
_ If he could summon lightning from the sky, it might very well be a possibility...  
  
"Ryuji, I was getting worried about you! It's an hour past dinnertime, and you never miss a meal!" the creature fretted, circling him. "Where were you!?! And who is this? A friend of yours?"  
  
"Sorry, I was out trainin' when I got kinda sidetracked...Mom, this guy here is Akira. He's a real mess, and uh, got lost, I guess? He's got it pretty rough and doesn't have anywhere else to go, so I was hopin' he could stay here for a day or two, at least until he gets back on his feet. Is that cool with you?"  
  
"Oh, goodness, you're lost? You poor boy...you look thin..." she tutted, reaching out a paw to rub his shoulder. "Of course, you can stay here as long as you need to, Akira! We have plenty of room! Follow me, I'll get you all set up for dinner!"  
  
Carefully, he stepped into the house, making sure to wipe his feet on the floor mat to remove any last traces of mud or water before he followed her through the room. It was a fairly open area, with large wooden walls that sloped up to a small skylight on the top of the ceiling. and furnished by only a few things like cushions or a wooden table with dishes of fruit and water on top. There were a handful of decorations pinned to the walls, like pressed flowers in frames or scribbly drawings. He found himself nudging Ryuji with a smirk as he spotted an especially crude one that looked like him and his mom, hanging proudly in the center of the room. The other was clearly embarrassed, waving him off before he rubbed the back of his neck.   
  
_You're quite the artist. Don't suppose I can commission you for a stunning portrait?_  
  
His smile fell as he glanced away, his amusement quickly fading. Banter wasn't any fun if the other person couldn't hear it...How many jokes would he never be able to tell? How many conversations would he be left out of, now that he was restricted to nodding and miming everything?  
  
_I guess this will make me pretty good at Charades._  
  
Nope. Still no fun. His wit was going to be wasted...  
  
Maybe he could carry a notepad with him and write things out?  
  
That still wasn't going to be practical though. And people might not even bother reading it and just ignore him altogether.  
  
"Come on, Akira, you can sit right here! Dinner will be ready as soon as I reheat it!"  
  
Trying to pull himself out of his somber mood, he followed Ryuji's mother into an adjoining room, where a round wooden table was surrounded by cushions. He sat down on one in the corner, grateful to finally rest his legs as Ryuji plopped down into the seat next to him.  
  
"Aww man, I'm beat...and starvin'!"  
  
"Did you have a tough day of training? You've been working so hard, I bet it works up an appetite!"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say it was pretty rough...but I pulled through. What about you, Mom? How was your day?"  
  
"Oh, just the same old, same old! The berries in my garden are almost ripe though! They'll be ready to pick sometime this week!"  
  
"Aw, sweet! Does that mean-"  
  
"Yep! It will be pie time soon! Oh, Akira, what's your favourite kind of pie? I'll have to bake one for you too!"  
  
"Oh, uh...actually, Akira here can't say a thing. Ya' gotta use, like, 'yes or no' stuff."  
  
"Oh, I see...How about I take you out to the garden whenever they're ready, Akira, and you can just taste them and point out what you like best? Does that sound good?"  
  
_Is she really going to bake me a pie? I wasn't really planning on staying here for long..._  
  
It would be rude to refuse the hostess though. He could just go along with things for now, and if he ended up leaving early, then it would just be less work for her.   
  
He nodded 'yes', flashing her a small smile.   
  
"Wonderful! It's going to be so nice having someone else in the house! Oh, not that you aren't _the light of my life,_ Ryuji!~" she chuckled, floating over to squeeze him into a hug.  
  
_"Mommm..."_ he whined, struggling to pull out of her grip. He seemed to have a small grin on his face though.  
  
"Now, let's feed you boys! I hope you like these, Akira! You can have as many as you want, so please don't be shy!"   
  
Floating back to the small fireplace in the back of the room, she hummed and twitched her ears, and soon metal trays were being levitated out to the table, surrounded by a blue glow. When they settled down, he could see piles of pancakes stretching high, and bowls and cups were set out with all kinds of toppings and syrups!   
  
Ryuji wasn't hesitating to heap mountains onto his plate, drowning them in all kinds of different things before he started chowing down. After a moment, he pulled a couple onto his own plate, sprinkling a few small seeds and berries onto them before he began nibbling at his plate.  
  
"Akira, sweetheart, that can't be all you're eating!" she tutted, pausing from fixing her own plate to load an entire stack of pancakes onto his. A levitating bottle of golden syrup soon drained its contents onto them, along with half of the table's fruit and some chocolate chips. "There you go! You need to get some meat on those bones and build up your strength!"  
  
Nodding gratefully (even if he was a bit embarrassed), he began to bite into the new stack, his eyes widening underneath his mask.  
  
_You know, if I did die in my old world, I must have gone to heaven!_  
  
Licking his jaws, he began to dig in more earnestly, different syrups and berry juices dripping from his face as he scarfed pancakes down. This was the first real meal he'd had besides single pieces of scavenged fruit, and he hadn't realized how much he'd missed actual, _cooked food.  
  
_ "That's it, dude! Leave it to us, we'll get ya' eatin' properly in no time!" Ryuji snickered between his own bites, reaching over to clap him on the back.  
  
He'd glanced up to take a drink of his glass of milk, finally ready to wash some of the food down, but his attention was pulled away for a moment as movement caught the corner of his eye. Turning, he could have sworn he caught sight of a... _red eye_ lurking on the wall? Fear running through him for a moment, he'd frozen in place, but the moment he blinked, it seemed to vanish!  
  
He stared at the spot for a minute, but nothing reappeared.  
  
"Akira? Buddy, you alright? What are ya' starin' at?"  
  
"Maybe he's just staring off into space. Is something on your mind, Akira? Try not to worry too much. Whatever's going on that's troubling you, we'll get it sorted out!"  
  
Shaking his head, he took a sip of his drink, returning to his dinner.   
  
_Maybe I was hallucinating? I'm really tired, after all..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP Akira, the only starter with a completely worthless moveset in the first dungeon of the game c': Who thought it was a good idea to make a player only have tail whip and growl until level 9? 
> 
> Also Ryuji and Akira get to enjoy the wonders of Lightning Rod, yay...They'll figure out combat eventually I swear...
> 
> Remember when Morgana made that comment during the buffet scene about how Akira never eats well? This is my payback for that. Akira is going to be spoiled rotten with delicious alolan pancakes and there is nothing you can do to stop me Atlus, this boy deserves a good meal and a loving home
> 
> I'm really excited for the next chapter mmm...we get to meet some more characters and enjoy some world building (and angst)


	6. Ryuji's Hut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira's new hosts try to get him settled in, but as darkness falls, this night doesn't go easily...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here come some of the scenes I started writing a few chapters ago, and the last chapter before Akira's world begins expanding to see what characters and places Ryuji's town has to offer! :D I'm really excited!
> 
> Poor Akira though...
> 
> Also say hello to the first chapter with actual swearing in it (no f-bombs, but some other words). Pokemon in the pmd world are not allowed to cuss because they are good creatures and I cannot allow a bad word to come out of Pikachu's cute little mouth even if it is Ryuji. But this is fair game.

Dinner had progressed without any more strange events, the three of them eating their fill while Ryuji and his mother chattered to each other. They attempted to include him in the conversation whenever they could, simplifying questions so that he could give his opinion while they made plans for tomorrow's meals or how they would spend the day, but he still found it difficult to follow along when he didn't know half of what they were discussing. This world had so many different terms from his own, and he only managed to pick up on about a third of it. He eventually gave up, choosing to focus on finishing his food and yawning pointedly until he managed to convey that he was too tired to interact further. It seemed to work, and the two went back to speaking and joking amongst themselves while he sat quietly, tuning it out into soft background noise.  
  
Eventually, he heard dishes clanking, and he glanced up to see Ryuji's mother standing up, choosing to keep her feet on the ground as she stacked a few plates in her paws. The cups and bowls of toppings were being levitated by that strange blue glow of hers, and she turned to start bringing them over to a barrel of water sitting in the back corner of the room, a few feet away from the fireplace. Straightening up, he reached to start gathering up the utensils still on the table, pulling them into his claws.   
  
"Akira, sweetheart, don't you worry about those! I'll take care of clearing the table!" she chided, pausing in her washing to float the forks out of his hands. "Ryuji, why don't you take him to the storeroom and start fetching the bedding supplies?"  
  
"Got it! Come on dude, let's get your nest ready!"  
  
_Nest?_  
  
Crinkling his snout in slight confusion, he followed Ryuji back through the dining room and out into the main room, turning left as his guide led the way towards the opening to a small side room. It was barely the size of a closet, and only about half the height of the other rooms. The walls were completely bare, spare a single light on one side, and the floor was...wait, was that a trap door?  
  
Sitting in the middle of the dirt was a square wooden door with a handle on it, painted pale blue. Ryuji crouched down to tug it open, revealing a short tunnel leading straight down, complete with stone ladder rungs on one side. The light on the wall helped keep it from being too dark, and he could see that the tunnel sloped off after about six feet, leading to what he presumed would be a flat surface.   
  
"Ya' like that light? Pretty cool huh? Most pokemon just use torches, but our house runs on electricity, since we generate so much ourselves!" Ryuji puffed out his chest, seeming rather proud of that fact. He tried his best to look impressed, widening his eyes and nodding in awe. So electricity wasn't the standard in this world, apparently.   
  
Ryuji kept saying that strange word though. 'Pokemon.' He'd tried to pick up on its meaning via context during the times it had come up, but he was still at a bit of a loss. Was it just their word for animals, a general phrase for all species? Or was it something more specific, like a particular race or civilization?  
  
"Alright, follow me!"  
  
Ryuji began clambering down with practiced ease, and he followed after him without too much difficulty, the stones serving as thick enough handholds to maintain a steady grip until he reached the ground. Once he did, Ryuji began walking down the sloping tunnel until the ground evened out, a string of electric lights lining the wall the entire way. The dirt tunnel seemed very well-constructed, all of the walls smoothed out and firmly packed, with support beams here and there to hold up what appeared to be a tarp along the ceiling. He assumed that was there to prevent anything from caving in if the dirt came loose up above.   
  
They finally came to a much more open room, lit up brightly and filled with all sorts of tall wooden shelves and crates. There was a whole section full of preserved foods like jams and jarred fruit, sacks of grain and sugar, and what he guessed were bushels of dried herbs, which were giving off a very fragrant smell. To the other side, there were stacks of spare wooden planks and odd chunks of metal, and in the corner the room was piled high with square bales of hay, stacked into a pyramid.  
  
Ryuji was digging through the stack to pull one of the bales out from the rest, biting through the cord that held it together with his sharp canines. Once the cord snapped, the thick bale sprung open, stretching out to its full size and sagging a little. Ryuji began sifting through the hay with his paws, pulling it apart into square chunks so that he could assess it more thoroughly. "This looks like a good one. Nice and dry, no sharp sticks or husks...yeah, this'll be real good! Here, grab a few squares, I'll carry the rest for ya'!"  
  
Scooping up as many as he could carry in his armpits (since he'd still need both hands for climbing back up), he waited for the other to gather up the rest, and soon they found themselves back up aboveground.  
  
"We don't have a guest bedroom or anything, so you'll be bunkin' with me!" Ryuji started, already leading the way out into the main house and into the only other opening they hadn't been through.   
  
He soon found himself looking around a circular and slightly messy room, lit by a large glowing candle sitting on a table near the entrance. A single window was cut out of the wall high on one side, presumably to let extra sunlight in during the day, but the rest of the walls were undecorated. All of Ryuji's belongings seemed to be displayed on the floor instead, with a few thin books, toys (mostly made of wood or patchy fabric, so now he was sure this world was more primitive) and colourful scarves strewn all over the place. In the middle of the madness, a flattened pile of hay was spread out, with a well-worn dent in the center. He guessed that was were Ryuji slept.   
  
"Alright, where am I gonna put ya'?" Ryuji muttered, reaching out to kick a wooden ball out of the way with his foot. "How about right here?" Heading over towards the left wall a few feet from the other nest, he turned, using the flat end of his tail to sweep all of the junk out of the way until he had cleared a spot of floor. Dumping the square chunks of hay down in its place, he started pulling them apart with his paws until they were worked into a decent pile of fluffy strands. "There, just climb on top and stomp that down a bit."   
  
He did as instructed, crawling onto the pile and trying to smash it down with his feet and tail. Once he was done, he layed down to test it, wriggling around as he tried to get comfortable.   
  
_This is really scratchy. I'm gonna be itching all night._  
  
There was also the fact that this entire house's floor was made of dirt. If he moved around too much, he'd probably end up kicking up dust.  
  
_I've got a roof over my head though...I guess I shouldn't complain too much._  
  
It definitely beat the idea of spending another night in...whatever that creepy place had been. Tombs and graveyards, all of those dead plants...yeah, compared to that, sleeping on the floor in a quaint little house wasn't bad at all. In fact, the thought of sleeping somewhere worse sent a shiver though him.  
  
No, actually, that chill wasn't from his thoughts alone. A second shudder helped him realize the source was actually the night air blowing in from the open window. It must have gotten much colder since they'd been outside earlier today. Ryuji didn't seem bothered by it though, shuffling around as he cleared the bare minimum of a path to the doorway so that they wouldn't trip in the middle of the night.  
  
_Well, it's his room. If he likes it like this, I'll be fine for the night._    
  
They'd just braved some agonizing things today, after all. Compared to that, he could survive a breeze. It wasn't like he'd freeze to death.  
  
"How's everything going in here?" Ryuji's mother had spoken without any warning that she was coming, and despite her cheerful tone, he'd flinched, whipping around to find the source of the noise.   
  
_Oh, she's floating on her tail again. I guess you wouldn't exactly hear footsteps..._  
  
"Goodness, look at this mess...Ryuji, I do wish you'd pick up in here once in a while! You'll break your neck walking around in here!" she chided, using her abilities to levitate a few more items out of the main walkway.   
  
"Relax, I've got a system! I know where all my stuff's at, and it, uh...helps my navigation skills! Yeah, if I can dodge all of this crap, I'll be able to run through anything without messin' up! Think of it as trainin' for my job!"  
  
"Call it what you want, but it would still be nice if I could see the floor!" she huffed, rolling her eyes with a slight smile on her face. "Just make sure our guest doesn't get _buried_ under all of your junk, alright?"  
  
"I know, I'll pick more up tomorrow..." Ryuji groaned. "It won't be a problem anyways once I evolve though, y'know? I can just fly right over everything!"  
  
"Flying isn't an excuse! You should still strive to keep a tidy home!" Burying her face in one paw, she sighed, apparently deciding to save this battle for another day. "Nevermind, we'll discuss that later. I came here to discuss what Akira would like to do tomorrow. I know Ryuji said you were lost, sweetheart, so we should probably take you into Town Square. We could get you a map there, so you could see if any of the pictures ring a bell! Actually, if you wanted to, I could take you to see the Rescue Center...there are plenty of officials there who go through missing pokemon reports, so they might be able to check and see if anyone's reported you! Does that sound like a good start, sweetie?"  
  
_Well, the map would definitely be useful. But...I don't think anyone's looking for me here..._  
  
Still, it couldn't hurt to try the Rescue Center anyways, could it? Just in case it unlocked something?  
  
He nodded, and she clapped her paws together. "Alright, we've got a plan then! We'll take you into Town Square tomorrow, and hopefully we'll get you the help you need, Akira! You'll be back where you belong eventually!" she assured him. "But, you should know that things have been difficult lately with our town's resources stretched so thin, so even if we ask the officials, things may not be solved in a day. So try to enjoy your time around here, okay? After all, if your travels have taken you somewhere unexpected, you might as well make a fun sightseeing trip out of it! And you can stay here as our guest for however long you like, so you'll always have shelter and food on the table, I promise. So please, try not to worry." Floating over, she gave him a gentle pat on the back, only for a small frown to appear on her face. "Oh dear, you're shivering! Are you too cold in here?"  
  
He stiffened immediately, shaking his head 'no', but his body didn't seem to agree with his plan of avoiding causing his hosts extra trouble, continuing to shiver despite his best efforts.   
  
"Oh, don't try to be tough...I can see you quivering like a leaf! Hang on, let me fetch some extra rugs from the storeroom! I'll be right back!"  
  
_She doesn't have to do that..._  
  
He stood up from his nest, trying to step after her, but Ryuji held out his paw to block him, grinning with pure amusement. "Too late buddy, she's in total coddlin' mode now! You're gonna be wrapped up nice and cozy whether ya' want it or not!"  
  
Still feeling a bit guilty, he tapped his claws together as he sat back down, waiting awkwardly until she flew back through the doorway with a whole stack of small rugs levitating in front of her.  
  
"I suppose it would be colder for you, poor creature. I can't imagine how much harder it is without any fur!"  
  
"Heh, come to think of it, you are kinda bald, aren't 'cha?!? Now me, I've got this _stunning pelt_ to snag the ladies~" Ryuji winked at him, making a show of smoothing the fur on his head back. "If it's any consolation though, at least your scales add to the whole spooky-tough-guy look ya' got goin' on! No one's gonna mess with your ugly mug-MMFF!" Ryuji flailed under a mound of cloth, finally poking his head out to glare at his mother. "Hey, watch where you're throwin' stuff!"  
  
"I knew exactly where I was aiming!~" she giggled. "Come on, sweetie, stop teasing him and help Akira get settled in. He's probably exhausted, and you need your rest too! We'll all be having a big day tomorrow!"  
  
"Yeah yeah, alright. I'll be sure to _tuck him in_ and _sing him a lullaby.~"_ Ryuji muttered, smirking as he helped pass the colourful rugs over to Akira's waiting claws. "G'Night Mom! See ya' in the mornin'."  
  
"Goodnight! Akira, if you need anything in the middle of the night, please don't hesitate to get one of us! You might need to bash Ryuji on that big head of his to wake him up though! He's a heavier sleeper than a snorlax!"  
  
"Hah-hah, _real funny_ Mom. Now float on outta here so we can hit the sack."  
  
Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she waved one last time, blowing out the candle on the nightstand before she slipped out of the room. Engulfed in darkness and a few moonlit silhouettes, he squinted to see that Ryuji had already rolled over onto his side with his back to him, tail twitching.  
  
"Alright, dude, just poke me or somethin' if ya' need anything. I'm going to sleep. That adventure of ours has me _wiped out..."_  
  
Akira nodded, only to realize that Ryuji couldn't see it. He settled for a small noise of acknowledgment. _"Hrrr."_  
  
It seemed to be enough, because the mammal's right ear twitched once, and then he was snuggling into his nest of hay with a content huff. Akira busied himself with adjusting the different blankets he'd been given until he was all covered up from head to toe. After a moment, he remembered to pull his tail in from where it had been sticking out, and soon a comfortable layer of warmth was radiating around him, warming his scales as it stayed trapped between all of the cloth layers and the hay. Yes, this was much better than trying to stick it out for the night. He was glad Ryuji's mother had insisted on pampering him despite his earlier protests.  
  
_I'll have to do something nice to pay her back for this tomorrow. Maybe I can help her make breakfast? Or do some chores?_  
  
Well, he'd figure something out in the morning. For now, he needed to rest. His muscles were aching from all of their antics earlier today, and his eyelids were growing heavier by the minute. Still, a few questions were nagging at him.  
  
_How long will I have to stay here? I don't want to impose on the two of them...Will I be able to find somewhere else to go? How can I settle down anywhere if I don't belong in this place...this world?_  
  
Funny. Even in a room with someone sleeping a mere couple of feet away, he still felt lonely and abandoned.  
  
Casting one last glance at Ryuji, who's side was now rising and falling with slow, deep breaths, he rolled over to face the other way, reaching out for the bone that he'd set next to the thicker lump of hay he'd made into a pillow. He ran his fingers along the ridges of the engraving, tracing each shape with care.  
  
_I hope my own mother's doing alright, wherever she is..._  
  
Was it selfish to hope that she was worried about him being missing? If it turned out he was stuck here for good, of course he'd want her to move on and live her life, and his dad too, but...if it wasn't for the memory he had earlier, he might have forgotten her entirely. What if they forgot about him too? Or...what if, for whatever reason...they didn't even know he was gone?  
  
Curling up even tighter, he held the bone to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to take a deep breath. Letting his head fill with depressing thoughts like those wasn't going to help anything. It had only been a day, maybe two...or at least, as far as he knew, that was all the time that had passed. He _hoped_ that was all the time that had passed. He needed to be strong. He needed to push his worries aside and focus on what was going on now. Just live in the moment, roll with the punches until he could figure something out. He could adapt. Overcome.  
  
_Enough thinking, Akira. Just go to sleep. Things'll be fine in the morning._  
  
Sighing under his breath, he tried to relax, listening absentmindedly to the rhythm of Ryuji's snoring until his mind began to go blank. The warmth of his blanket nest was comforting, and he felt his breathing start to slow, his awareness of the room around him dimming until, finally, he felt himself slip blissfully into unconsciousness.  
  
~~~  
  
"ROW! ROW! SPEAR-SPEAR!"  
  
_No, those are...they couldn't have followed us, could they?_  
  
Everything seemed to be pitch black, and he turned around in circles, trying to spot the source of the screeching calls. They seemed to be coming from a new direction every time, but he couldn't hear any flapping wings to signify the spearow coming closer. Over and over the call pierced his earholes, and his heartbeat began to quicken.   
  
_Ryuji? Ryuji, are you here too? Please be here..._  
  
"SPEAR-ROWWWW!"  
  
Stinging pain raked along his back, and he stumbled, gasping as talons dug deeper into his hide. He whipped around, but then another slash along his side had him doubling over. Warm blood was seeping through his claws as he clutched himself, gritting his teeth and struggling to keep moving as the avians continued assaulting him from every side, throbbing pain aching throughout his entire body.   
  
_I can't find anything to throw, it's just dark emptiness here...I don't know how to fight back..._  
  
"You think you can fight me? Is that what you want, you little punk?"  
  
The voice seemed to boom around the space like thunder, and a heavy blow against his chest had him falling backwards.   
  
_What was that? It didn't feel like talons, more like-_  
  
"Mind your own damn business! What right do you have to go against me?!?"  
  
_Who are you? Why are you screaming at me?_  
  
He didn't know this voice at all. It was loud, but heavily distorted, slurred and rumbling. He could barely focus on the words either, because every time he tried to move or stand, something would smash into him again, firm and unrestrained. His chest, his ribs, they were hurting so badly he could barely breathe, although his rising panic forced him to keep gasping anyways, worsening his condition. Something gripped his head, squeezing until he felt like his skull was going to crack, and something else pushed down on his back, finally pinning him to the ground.   
  
It was easily twice his weight, maybe more, and he could only gasp out in pain again as the pressure increased, every inch of his body shrieking in protest. Where was Ryuji, or his mother? Why hadn't anyone come to help him?  
  
"St-Stop... _please..._ " He'd barely managed to choke it out, his voice cracking as burning stabbed through his side again. Tears were welling up in his eyes now, one managing to slip down his cheek as he tried to crawl out of his assailant's grip, only to feel his head get jerked upwards.   
  
"You started this, brat. And it's not going to end until I teach you a lesson."  
  
His head was thrust back down before he could finish processing the words, his face smacking against the ground. His skull was pounding so strongly he could barely think, but judging by the warmth dripping towards his mouth and the searing pain, his nose was definitely broken.   
  
_Why are they hurting me? What did I do? Where is everyone else?_  
  
"Maybe once that heals, you'll think twice before sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!"  
  
Trying to breathe through his mouth only brought on a coughing fit, and he clutched the ground against the waves of stabbing sensations that rolled through his chest and sides. He could feel his senses slipping, the brutal laughter fading as he lost the ability to listen with full attention, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue and heat blazing through him becoming all he was aware of. His brain felt like it was spinning, and he struggled to lift his head up, hoping to catch at least a glimpse of whoever was beating him senseless.   
  
Staring blearily forwards, he was startled to realize the only thing he could see among the blackness was...himself. His real form, lying there bruised and dirty and covered in bleeding cuts, with a busted nose gushing blood, and he was staring right back at him. Scraggly black hair half-covered one of his squinting eyes, and the other eye...it was staring out from under his mask. That strange, skull mask that covered his head in that other world, it was on this Akira too. Except it was broken in half, the other pieces strewn about in smashed bits on the ground.  
  
He tried to say something to him, but the other figure opened his mouth at the same time.  
  
_Wait...I'm not seeing my other form, am I? That's...that's me, right now. Like a reflection in the mirror. But I was that monster earlier, wasn't I?_  
  
"Alright, I've had enough of this...Say goodnight, kid."  
  
A sharp blow to the head was the last thing he felt before he lost sight of himself, that same darkness covering everything...  
  
~~~  
  
Consciousness returned to him immediately as he jerked upwards, fear screeching throughout every fiber of his being. Where were they, where was his attacker?!? He frantically glanced around, searching for a shape in the dark, anyone, anything-  
  
The moonlight was coming in from the window, bathing the room in a soft silver glow. Toys were strewn about, and a few feet away, something was sleeping, the odd snore escaping its open, drooling mouth.   
  
His heart was still pounding as he tried to think, feeling over himself. There was no blood anywhere, no pain except for the burn in his chest from his panicked breathing. His nose was intact, and the skull covered his whole head. He had scaly hide, and claws, not soft skin. He was bald.  
  
_It was just a dream then...just an agonizing, terrifying dream..._  
  
But if it had just been a nightmare, why had it felt so _vivid?_ Why would he dream about a voice he'd never heard, or about him being _beaten_ , of all things? Sure, the spearow in that dungeon had been terrifying too, but...this seemed like a whole different level from a bad dream about his adventure earlier...  
  
He tried to swallow, but his throat was painfully dry, and his breathing and heartrate were barely slowing down. His whole body was shaking so hard that he could barely grasp the rugs in his claws, and the breeze from the window wasn't helping.   
  
He risked another glance at Ryuji, still sleeping peacefully, without a care in the world. He was the closest thing he had to a friend right now, and in a situation like this, one _really_ needed a friend, but...  
  
_I can't bother him for something like this...we barely even know each other. And besides...it's not like I can actually explain any of what I just saw..._  
  
Well, he could at least get out of this room before he risked waking him up. Fumbling to grab one of the rugs to wrap around himself like a shawl, he crept out of his nest, moving slowly so that he didn't rustle the dry hay. He had to tiptoe across the floor, keeping his tail raised and dodging the mess until he'd made it to the path that had been cleared to the doorway. Once he'd made it through, he slipped out into the hall and back into the big main room, squinting without the electric lights on to guide him (he guessed they didn't see the point in keeping everything lit during the night).   
  
Light mumbling reached his ears, and he froze in his tracks.  
  
_Who is that?!?_  
  
Straining to listen, he began to pick out a few words. "Pie time...sugar and pecha paste...cheri berries..."  
  
_What? It doesn't sound threatening, but where is that coming from?_  
  
He tried to peer around the room, but all of the cushions seemed empty, and there was no one at the wooden table. Baffled, he listened harder, finally taking a glance upwards. There, wrapped in a light blue glow and floating under the skylight, was Ryuji's mother, lounging on her tail.  
  
_Does she...sleep up there?_  
  
Tugging his blanket closer, he stared at her for a minute, the ache in his chest growing sharper. Maybe she would have been able to help, if he could talk...or at least she might have listened...  
  
_Wait._  
  
He'd talked in the dream though, that one time, when he was desperate! Maybe, if he just tried hard enough, he could do it again! Staring up at her with fresh hope, he took a deep breath, gathering his willpower.  
  
_"Hrrrr..."_  
  
He had to cut the noise off as frustration began to choke him out, a lump gathering in his throat as heat pooled in his eyes. _Why?_ Why couldn't he do this _one simple thing?_ How was he supposed to get through _any of this_ if he couldn't even explain what was going on?  
  
_I was suffering alone in that dream. Is that how it's supposed to be? Is no one going to be able to help me?_  
  
_I don't want to be alone. I want my mom, and my dad...I want to go home!_  
  
His breathing was coming even faster now, the panic from before coming back as his dream kept running through his mind. There had been no one there, no one except for him and that one voice, and all of that _pain,_ and-  
  
What if this life was going to be like a nightmare? Where no matter how terrifying things get or how desperately you try, you can't make a sound, you can't _scream_ and-  
  
Clasping a hand over his mouth to try and muffle his hitching gasps, he turned to grab at the door handle, fumbling to try and pull it open as quickly as he could without making too much noise. The moment he had enough room, he staggered out into the cold night air, yanking it shut behind him before he stumbled off the porch. He couldn't be in that house, he couldn't, not when it just kept reminding him of everything he'd lost, of everything he couldn't remember clearly, of what he might not ever have again if he couldn't-  
  
He finally tripped on the grass near the stream, and he struggled to pull the blanket tighter around his shaking shoulders, hot tears running along the inside of his mask before a few flooded to run down the outside as well.  
  
_I want my family back...I want to remember...I just want to know why I'm here..._  
  
He couldn't stop crying now, the tidal wave of emotion he'd been forced to hold inside finally coming loose as he buried his face in his claws, chest heaving and burning as he struggled to breathe.   
  
For a moment, he thought he felt the slightest sensation of a touch on his shoulder, and hope flared in his chest for a split-second. The moment he whipped around though, it was gone, and although his vision was blurry, he was sure there was nothing there.  
  
Of course there hadn't been. There was no one here tonight who could possibly comfort him...

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it all the way down here, please feel free to leave a short comment with your thoughts! I'm having a lot of fun working on this project and would love to hear from my readers! <3
> 
> I can also be found on tumblr (ursine-enchantment), where I post updates about new uploads and upcoming fics!


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